Welcome to 2011
by Death101- Fox Version
Summary: Holid#3 ONESHOT Just when they thought it was safe to relax, Trunks, Kaiba, and Yusuke find themselves involved in yet another Holiday Hell. But who is this person who kidnapped Keiko, Takahashi, Yusuke's boss, Takahashi's charge, and Goku? YYH YGO DBGT Rated PG-13 on safe side. PG on slack side.


_Disclaimer: While I would love to be Akira Toriyama, Kazuki Takahashi, or Yoshihiro Togashi, I am not so I do not own the many Dragon Ball series, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Yu Yu Hakusho._

**A/N: I started this in the middle of the summer and I realize that is a silly time for a New Year's fic. However, I wanted to write about my favourite double trio and this is the only holiday I could think of. Also, in GT there is no stated date for Goku's return. He could just be immortal. Yes. Lame excuse I know but just go with it.**

Other Information: Third story in the Holidays Series. Stories in series have Holid# in their summary.

**For the Eve of the Year  
>With Time held dear<br>A story was written.  
>For all to hear.<strong>

**-D101**

Welcome to 2011

**H**eaving a sigh, Yusuke felt self-pity bite into him. He knew that pity would get him nowhere and self-pity would get him even less distance. However, when he arrived in America via portal travel Yusuke couldn't help but wish that he had died when he had been hit by the car or when he was shot by Sensui. There were probably people to fight in the afterlife, Keiko and his mom would move on, and he wouldn't have to suffer the wrath of Keiko because he had to go on another mission. Like the one he was stuck on now.

Heaving another sigh, Yusuke tried to think back and figure out where warning signs were of his day going to hell. The day had started with the sun shining, people leaving him alone, and him winning all his street fights. Yet as nice as the day was his mind drifted back to the time Keiko and he had experiences during the holidays. He had tried to push the thoughts back as he walked towards the Yukimura restaurant to pick up Keiko. Unfortunately the memories refused to leave so he comforted himself with the thought it was over. In his mind there would be no more trouble since the C.E.O's were now in totally different cities, both of which were nowhere near his town. While it may seem insane he figured he had some good reasoning behind his feelings. Every single one of the group he thought of as the holiday gang, attracted trouble like a magnet.

He had briefly met some of the other victims of the holidays during his time rescuing Keiko and being rescued by Keiko and he was sure of that fact. Goten, a half-saiyan, and Trunks, a C.E.O. half-saiyan, appeared to be the worst since they went looking for trouble according to what Goten had told him while they were kidnapped by Eros. Takahashi, a human secretary, didn't seem to bring trouble on herself but her boss also seemed go looking for it. Yusuke knew that trouble found him often as well so when he thought about it he was a little surprised that nothing had happened before. After all with at least four trouble magnets living in towns so close to each other for so long something was bound to go wrong. However, Takahashi and her boss were now in America and Trunks and Goten in West City. With luck that would keep trouble away from him and Keiko for a long time, he had thought, but as a precaution he still made sure to teach Keiko a few moves and even got a cell phone so that they could keep in contact.

As Yusuke dodged a car speeding through a red light he muttered, "But of course Spirit World had to mess with my life again." For a second, he almost preferred the idea of dealing with holiday themed creatures. He stopped himself from wishing for it though when he remembered each time a holiday adventure happened Keiko was dragged in as well.

Looking around for signs of trouble, Yusuke returned to his recollection of his day. He had considered calling Goten up to see if he had wanted to spar next week since beating up Kuwabara was getting old and he had promised to hang out with Keiko this week. In fact that was why he had been heading over to her house. They were planning on celebrating school being over for the summer but since things kept popping up they had to postpone the celebration until the 24th (today.) Keiko hadn't been happy the first time but as this was the third time it had been put off she probably would still be annoyed. He had considered getting her flowers but all the shop owners glared at him as he passed so he had to forget the flowers.

Mistakes in the past really are a pain in the present, Yusuke thought as he looked down a dark alley before he continued walking.

After the glaring shop owners he finally made it to the restaurant. Keiko was waiting outside and walked towards him with a smile. It looked like the flowers weren't needed after all, he had thought. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Keiko had smiled and nodded. They started walking and almost made it to the end of the block when the unfortunate happened. Yusuke growled just thinking about it as an old man with a wooden cane bumped into him.

Pulled out of his memories, he apologized and continued on his way and his thinking.

Just as Keiko and he were about to enjoy their day a girl with blue hair and pink eyes ran up and started yelling something about Koenma going missing and how it was his job to go find him. That was when Yusuke finally felt something was really wrong. Turning to Keiko he explained he would have to take a rain check. As always she just watched as he ran off after Botan who looked like a chicken with its head cut off… well maybe not like that since she was moving and running around.

Yusuke shook his head as he walked around the streets of America looking for trouble. He should have known something would go wrong. Something always went wrong when he finally had a moment with Keiko. The first time was the mind controlling insects. Then there was that three year trip to Demon World. Next the Halloween incident and now this. He'd be lucky if she was still talking to him when he got home. Oh well the sooner he found Koenma, the sooner he could go home.

He found himself pulled out his thoughts by the sounds of sirens and screaming. Deciding to follow the rushing people, Yusuke turned around and raced into the heart of it. After all, nothing was ever gained but lost time by sitting around.

***Welcome*to*2011***

**A** lot could change in a matter of months. He couldn't remember the last time he was thankful for summer. As a child, summer just meant more time at home and under the power of Gozoburo. After his stepfather's _unfortunate_ demise, summer just meant more time to work at his company without having to worry about school the next day. But now he was thankful for it simply because it meant no themed holidays. That meant no freaks trying to kidnap him because Takahashi gave him a kidlike devil costume. No trips down memory lane to his past and that of Egypt. No demented gods kidnapping his secretary and forcing him to rescue her. No stupid trials or trips to Egypt and no more signs of holiday creatures. For five months he wouldn't have to worry about what holiday hell he was going to be forced into next. For five months, he could he could sit at his desk, work, and relax. Well, he'd relax as best he could. With a joint project with Capsule Corps, he didn't really have much time but it was enough. He didn't have to look over his shoulder and he could just work in peace.

But of course Takahashi had to ruin it.

For a moment he stared down at the creature as he debated what to do with it. Tiny fists clenched the pink blanket covering the creature and a small blue Kuriboh. A tiny mouth sucked on a pacifier and tiny blue eyes stared at his as the air conditioner clicked and started to spread the cold air through the room.

His frown grew as he stared at the creature trying to figure out why and how he found himself left alone with it.

When Takahashi had rushed into the office, he had thought something horrible was chasing her. Her black hair was mostly everywhere but in the bun she usually wore. Her green eyes were rimmed by dark circles and her clothes were wrinkled. Most importantly, she was five minutes late. Takahashi was never late. Not even on Mondays. He had barely noticed as he got up from his desk and moved to her side.

"Sorry I'm late," she panted as she leaned over and tried to catch her breath. "I missed the bus and I don't have a baby seat for my car yet."

He had frowned, noticing for the first time the baby carrier she had placed on her desk and the blue bag with toon Duel Monsters she had placed on her chair. Inside the carrier the creature started to move and cry. Takahashi groaned and rubbed at her eyes. Without an explanation for why such a creature was in his office, she picked up the child and started to rock it. He was silent as she completed her task, still shocked by the fact that Takahashi had a daughter. Gradually the child calmed down and became silent once more. Takahashi appeared more harassed as she brushed back her hair after laying the child in the carrier again.

"Can you watch Akiko for a few seconds while I get something to eat?"

His blue eyes widened and he wondered if the lack of sleep had messed with her head. He opened his mouth to say no but Takahashi had already disappeared into the elevator. Back in the present he was still standing in the area outside his office, lost as to what he needed to do. The child was silent but not asleep. She just kept staring at him. What did people do with babies? The little he remembered from the time when Mokuba was that young was that Mokuba cried, slept, ate, and threw up. This girl was doing none of those. She was just staring at him and to be honest, it was starting to creep him out. Not to be outdone, he stared back.

As he stared he realized he couldn't detect any hint of Takahashi in the young girl. The girl had blue eyes instead of green and brown hair instead of black. Perhaps she took after the father? He had no idea what Takahashi's past boyfriend, Kenta, even looked like so he couldn't be sure. However, he couldn't see how Takahashi could have a child this young without him being aware of it. At his best guess the child was anywhere from five months to a year old. In March of the coming year, Takahashi would have worked for him for three years. If she was Takahashi's daughter, she would have asked for maternity leave or he would have noticed the gain of weight… hopefully. The past few months had been hectic but he couldn't have missed something like that right? Of course, Takahashi didn't strike him as the type who would cheat on her boyfriend or sleep with a boyfriend who she rarely saw. However, if the girl (Aiko?) wasn't Takahashi's daughter, why was she looking after the child?

The child moved in her carrier, her eyes finally moving from his as she looked around the office. No doubt looking for Takahashi, he decided. The child started to whimper and clutch her blanket with both hands as her pacifier fell out of her mouth. He considered it might be a good idea to blink and did so but the action did not sooth the child's nerves.

Brilliant, just what he needed. What was taking Takahashi so long and what made her think he would be willing to look after the kid?

The girl was starting to cry and was stretching against the straps of the carrier. Following her line of vision he noticed the Kuriboh toy on the ground. He picked it up and gave it to the girl. She pushed it away and started to cry. Okay so she didn't want the toy. He glanced at the baby bag hanging from Takahashi's chair. Maybe she was hungry. He took a bottle from the bag and gave it to the girl hoping she would be quiet. The child did close her mouth but she pushed on the bar in front of her so that she was putting distance between her and the bottle. So she wasn't hungry. He put the bottle back but didn't dare hope that the child would be quiet now. Seconds after he replaced the bottle in the bag the little girl started to cry again but this time she was screaming.

He forced himself to block out the noise and tried to think of something that would calm the girl down. The only thing that came to mind was having Takahashi return to the room, however, that was unlikely. Now the girl was kicking and screaming as she waved her arms around. Completely at a loss, Kaiba could feel himself started to panic. Instantly, he forced himself to calm down. He was the owner of one of the largest companies in the world. He dealt with stress that would kill a less prepared person daily. He was a world-class duellist who faced defeat with a smirk. He was not going to panic.

The girl's screams reached a higher octave.

…Okay, maybe he'd panic a little.

Remembering Takahashi's actions that morning, he picked up the girl and started to rock her. Unfortunately, the girl's kicking made it difficult to keep a firm grip on her. Most likely thinking he was going to drop her, the child started to scream as though he was murdering her. He could picture the headlines now. "Famed C.E.O. Murders Child." It wouldn't be true but that wouldn't stop the papers from writing it.

Off hand he supposed he knew why Takahashi was looking so harassed but he failed to see why she would bring such a problem to work with her when she refused to inform him about anything in her life outside work.

"Kaiba!"

He glanced up from the screaming child to see Takahashi standing in the doorway with two coffees and a brown paper bag. She was smiling, apparently amused at the sight of him dealing with her daughter. If he wasn't so annoyed with the child and happy to see her, he probably would have demanded to know what took her. Instead, he handed the child over to her as she placed the coffees and bag on her desk. Envious he watched as she comfortably shifted the child in her arms and the way the child fell virtually silent instantly.

Takahashi smiled at him again and started to say something when they heard a small cough.

Turning to his right he spotted Trunks Briefs, the C.E.O. and owner of Capsule Corps and a fellow victim of the nightmares that had consisted of their lives for the past few holidays. Under his unusual purple hair, Trunks' blue eyes drifted from watching Takahashi with her daughter to Kaiba. Beside Trunks was a man Kaiba was not familiar with but the way his black hair struck out at odd angles would make him easy to remember.

Takahashi appeared not to know the other man as well because as she placed the child back into her carrier she said, "Morning Trunks, who is your friend?"

Trunks smiled and replied, "Morning Naomi. This is Goten's dad, Goku."

The other man smiled and held out his hand to Takahashi and then to Kaiba when she shook his hand. "Glad to meet you."

Kaiba nodded as he shook the man's hand but his mind was on other things. In the past Takahashi had never called Trunks by his first name while at work. Outside of work she might, but of course he never saw her outside of work so he had no idea. Trunks referring to her as Naomi was also new. He found himself glancing at Takahashi's daughter, could he be…? He shook the thought from his head. The child was too young for it to be Trunks and Takahashi's daughter. They had only met in February. Unless they knew each other outside of work…

Vaguely he noticed Goku was making faces for the girl by wiggling his tongue and making antlers with his hands. With some effort, Kaiba pulled his mind out of his thoughts and to the conversation Trunks and Takahashi were having.

"What's her name?"

"Akiko," Takahashi replied. "She was the New Year's baby this year."

"You and Kaiba must be really happy then."

Takahashi's reaction was similar to his. Her eyes widened but while he quickly corrected Trunks, she was still trying to string a sentence together.

"She's not mine."

Trunks' eyes widened before he laughed nervously. "Oh. I just thought… since she had brown hair and the blue eyes." He continued to laugh.

Kaiba frowned but turned to walk to his office door. "Let's make this quick. I have work to do."

Trunks quickly followed and Kaiba was grateful once again for the papers that covered his desk every morning. Nothing cleared his mind better than work and the last thing he wanted to think about was Takahashi and her daughter.

***Welcome*to*2011***

**P**erhaps sleeping in wasn't the brightest thing to do, Trunks thought as he walked through the streets of the huge city that was the center of America and as he walked he couldn't help but wish that there wasn't so much food around. He had woken up late and barely had enough time to grab a piece of toast before calling Goku and asking him for a lift to America. To say he was starving was like saying saving the world was easy— a gross understatement. Unfortunately, he had no one to blame but himself for not booking a flight to America, and then not setting his alarm early enough so he would have enough time to fly to America.

Months earlier Kaiba Corps and Capsule Corps had reached an agreement to work together on the production of capsules that would act as holders for a set of virtual games with their own power source and contained system. Then the headquarters of Kaiba Corps had been moved to America while the one in Japan was undergoing some changes. (Although he had no idea what changes were happening.) Since the C.E.O. at Kaiba Corps wanted an active role in the production and creation, Trunks found himself travelling to America often with designs from his scientists to see what software and hardware would be needed to support the virtual games Kaiba Corps was creating.

The fact that this happened months ago didn't stop him from forgetting and thinking he could just fly over to a meeting in seconds. July 24th was one of those days he forgot and he didn't leave enough time to fly over to America. That left his backup plan, Goku. Just before Trunks had been born, Goku had been taught a trick called "Instant Transmission" which allowed him to transport himself to anywhere in the universe instantly. If Trunks had more time, he would have asked Goku to teach him the move. However since he started making business arrangements with Kaiba Corps, free time was scarce. Not that he would complain. Anything to keep his mom from yelling at him was a good thing in his book.

Goku was good natured about being called out of his house to help Trunks out, and within seconds the two found themselves in America right in front of Kaiba Corps' C.E.O. and his secretary. The two adults didn't even blink or show they noticed the two flash into existence a few feet in front of them. To be fair, if Trunks had to deal with a screaming baby, he doubted he would have even noticed if the world was ending.

The meeting went downhill from there, Trunks recalled as he debated whether to buy a hotdog from a street vendor or not. Maybe calling Kaiba's secretary by her first name wasn't the smartest idea but he had been working with them for months and felt he knew them well enough. He would have called Kaiba, Seto if he didn't know Kaiba would try to kill him if he did. On second thought, assuming the child in Naomi's arms was also Kaiba's probably the smartest thing either. The taller man had glared at him and the result of the blue eyed ice ray was Trunks feeling as though he was at least three feet shorter than Kaiba instead of three inches.

While Naomi took care of the small child and Goku made funny faces, Kaiba and Trunks went to his office and traded advancements. Apparently there was a problem with the game programming but Kaiba felt it would only take a few days to fix.

The smell of hotdogs coming closer pulled Trunks out of his thoughts as his stomach growled. It was then that he noticed Goku walking up to him with his arms full of hotdogs. "You have to try one of these Trunks. They even put cheese inside," Goku said with at least two hotdogs poking out of his mouth.

Trunks found himself smiling in amusement and took a hotdog from Goku. It disappeared in seconds without making a dent in his hunger but at least it was something.

Goku was still smiling. "Pretty good huh? I wonder if I can get Chichi to make these."

Trunks nodded but turned his mind back to Naomi and her daughter. "Hey Goku, what did you think about Naomi's kid?"

Goku had stuffed his mouth with another hotdog and had to pause to swallow. "She's cute but I think she's just babysitting. Their energies are too different for her to be the mother."

Trunks nodded and exhaled. "I thought so too but her reaction made me wonder if something else had happened."

"Really like what?"

Trunks didn't want to say what he had thought but Goku would keep asking so he replied, "Naomi enjoys going to bars."

"So?"

Trunks considered trying to explain his reasoning to Goku but the man had already refocused his attention on the food in his arms. With a smile he stole another hotdog from Goku as his thoughts drifted. America was so different from Japan and yet the same. Everyone was speaking English that he understood but rarely used. It was summer holidays here so teens and children were running around while in Japan they would still be in school. The style of clothing varied as it always would and the area was filled with the smells of diesel, food, and gasoline. It was nice here but he wouldn't want to live here, he decided as he saw a couple hurling insults at each other on the other side of the street. The air was filled with tension and stress. He couldn't understand how Kaiba would stand it on top of his already stressful workload and the events of the past few holidays.

It had started on Halloween when they were mistaken for children from a town called Halloween Town. There he, Kaiba, and another person named Keiko were forced to relive their worst memories. Pan, Naomi, and a boy named Yusuke came for them and they returned home thinking they would never meet again. Then on Valentine's Day the Greek god Eros kidnapped Naomi, Goten, and Yusuke. Trunks, Kaiba, and Keiko had to pass four trials before they beat the god and rescued their friends. Since then nothing had happened but every time a holiday appeared, even Mother's Day, Trunks felt himself preparing for trouble. Only when no holidays were upcoming could he relax but on July 24th he felt himself braced for trouble. He didn't know why but he had a feeling something was coming and when you spend your life fighting to protect the world, you learn to trust those feelings.

He glanced at Goku out of the corner of his eyes and was amused to see him happily devouring the last of his hotdogs. Goku never changed. All he needed to be happy was his family, food, and the occasional sparring partner. While Trunks would like to add the ability to not have to work to the list, he had to admit that was about all he wanted too. Unfortunately, he had yet to meet anyone yet so he amused himself by fighting with Goten and avoiding work and trouble.

Trunks started to eat the last of his hotdog when he noticed a flicker of movement behind Goku and felt something dangerous. Forgetting about the hotdog, he raised his power slightly.

"Goku?" he asked.

The man's cheery grin had disappeared as fast as his hotdogs had. "I know. Be ready."

The innocent people around them faded from their view as the two saiyans walked down into an alley, their senses alert for trouble. It came as soon as they were halfway down the empty alley.

A scythe without an owner swung towards Trunks who dodged it and destroyed it with a chi blast seconds later with ease. As the light from his chi died, Trunks spotted hands reaching out to Goku from a black hole behind the man. As the hands gripped Goku's shoulders, he vanished and appeared beside Trunks. Without thinking, the two fired at the portal. It vanished seconds before the blast reached it and the wall received the attack instead.

The two stood back to back waiting. The portal appeared again under their feet but both sensed the unfamiliar energy and were hovering above the ground with their glowing hands aimed towards the hole. Again it closed before their blast could hit it.

A new scythe nearly cut off Trunks' head but Goku destroyed it with one well placed kick. Hands reached out for Goku again but Trunks got rid of them with his chi blasts. For a moment, the two hovered in the air, waiting to see where the next attack would come from. Trunks' eyes scanned the area with speed he usually used only for tracing the movements of fast opponents such as Goten. This creature seemed to move at human speeds making it easy to spot and defend against.

However, a minute passed and they saw no signs of the attacker. Another passed and Goku's focused frown changed to a grin. "I guess we showed him," he said before his stomach growled. "But now I'm hungry again."

Despite the situation, Trunks laughed. "Come on. There are probably a few hotdog vendors you haven't completely wiped out yet."

Goku laughed and started to follow him when they heard the screams and the breaking of glass. Without a word, they turned and flew in the directions of the screams.

***Welcome*to*2011***

**P**apers rustled as they fell to the ground. From her position on the ground she could hear the starting of panic on the street. It took a moment for the numbness to vanish from her brain. A second later it was replaced with the irritating stinging from many small cuts.

The window had broken, she recalled.

Her head started to pound as rational thought struggled to return. She and Akiko sitting at her desk… Then what happened?

Takahashi paused as a wave of pain traveled over her mind as someone moved her. For a second, she felt her weight held up at two points. Her back and below her knees. She felt herself being moved until it stopped. Her side, which she had been lying on now no longer felt any pressure. Her back instead felt as though it was laying on something that was flat, long, and hard. Most likely the ground or her desk. Above her a voice was demanding that she wake up. Something touched her left shoulder and gentled lifted her so she was almost sitting. Her eyes scrunched at the pain; however the voice demanded she open her eyes so they would know she was okay.

Gingerly she eased her eyes open and tried to bring the world into focus. One figure stood off to the side while another one supported her. Unable to focus she guess at who she was seeing using only the two blue eyes and purple blob she could make out and the figure's position as guides.

"Trunks?" she asked the figure who was off to the side.

The figure holding her seemed to smile as he turned and said over his shoulder, "It's probably just a small concussion but she doesn't seem to have anything broken."

She was about to ask what had happened when she found something small, green, and bean shaped placed in front of her face.

"What's this?" she managed to mutter.

She could make out the white of the figure's grin. "It's a Senzu bean. If you eat it, it will make you get better."

It hurt to frown she found but she wasn't so sure she wanted to avoid a hospital trip just by eating some questionable plant. She opened her mouth to decline when someone took the green thing and put it in her mouth. Her eyes widened at the surprise intrusion and was about to spit it out when a familiar voice said, "Just eat it Takahashi!"

Again, her eyes widened as she tried to make out where the source of her boss's voice was. However her vision was still blurry so she merely obeyed and chewed the 'bean' before swallowing. She still didn't understand how a little bean was going to help though. After swallowing she looked around once more for the source of familiarity when she felt something move through her body. It was like a wave of pure energy that started from her stomach and worked its way outward. Whatever the energy touched stopped hurting. Within seconds, she felt like she had just gone on a vacation for a week and the room was back into focus. Quickly she realized the man who had offered the bean was Goku who was smiling as he helped her down from her place on her desk.

"Feel better?" he asked.

She nodded and glanced around the office, expecting to see Akiko. The window to the right of her desk had been shattered covering parts of the floor with dangerous shards. The rest of the floor was covered with papers, most of which came from her desk. Her chair was on the other side of the room by the elevator but there was no little girl. The carrier was also missing. She swallowed, suddenly aware of the chill that started to spread from her heart.

"Where's Akiko?" she asked, as she glanced around the room again to be sure that she hadn't missed something.

The men were silent and her eyes were drawn to the window. If— She stopped the thought and turned back to the men. "Where is Akiko?" she demanded.

Goku frowned while Trunks shrugged. She didn't bother to look at Kaiba.

"We didn't see her," Trunks explained. "When we got here you were lying by your desk and everything was a mess."

The chill spread from her heart to her stomach making it twist uncomfortably. She should have never taken the child. Especially not when she didn't have a babysitter. What was she thinking? Now Akiko was missing and most likely dead and it was her fault. Why did she think she could handle it? Especially after the sleepless night of worrying about Sam and how the police had appeared at the door with the baby girl for her to look after. Why didn't she notice the signs?

Trunks placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm sure Akiko is fine. If she was in her carrier on the desk then—"

Takahashi shook her head. "She wasn't in her carrier. I was holding her." She shook her head again. As she tried to remember. "I was holding her because she was being fussy about her bottle. Then something shoved me and the window exploded." She paused to close her eyes as she tried to remember. "I think I hit my head."

"You did," Goku said. "There's a dent in the wall to prove it."

She nodded with her eyes still closed as she tried to remember more. "Akiko was crying and…" She remembered feeling someone's arm slip around the child and remove her. "Someone took Akiko from me." Opening her eyes, she looked at Trunks and Goku. "Did you see anyone?"

For the first time, Kaiba spoke. His voice had an edge that he rarely used when speaking to her. "No one came in before them, Takahashi."

She felt as though she was dealing with the officers from last night. Men who thought they understood what was going through her head but didn't and weren't aware of how to deal with it. She believed her memory and knew someone had taken her baby girl. "There where is Akiko?"

Kaiba glared at her. "She didn't fall out the window if that's what you're thinking. She wouldn't be able to get around your desk."

She found herself yelling at him. "Then where is Akiko if she didn't fall and no one took her? She isn't in the office is she?"

"How the hell should I know? She isn't my responsibility."

"People don't vanish into thin air!"

Kaiba glared at her. "Then go ahead and believe that she fell out a window because no one got here before them except for me and I walked in a second after the window exploded. Unless you think I took her."

She was silent. Unable to say anything but feeling like the floor was being ripped out from underneath her. The reaction from her boss was no more than she could have expected. After all, he was under stress from work and someone had just destroyed a window in his building. He had more things to worry about than Akiko and while at work she was also supposed to act like that. However, her 'responsibility' had just gone missing and she refused to pretend that she didn't care. She shouldn't have been surprised by his reaction to her acting motherly. She knew what he expected and she had gone against that. But it still hurt that he seemed to place his company above human lives, especially when this human life meant so much to her. But that fact meant little to him.

"She isn't here," Goku said breaking the silence that was hanging in the air. "But she isn't dead. I wouldn't be able to sense a trail of her energy if she was."

Takahashi started to ask how he could know when she remembered the time she had been kidnapped. Goten had explained about something called chi which allowed users to 'sense' people without using any of their other five senses to find the person. Apparently Goten had learnt from his father.

She started to ask where the trail led when the doors to the office were kicked in. Everyone turned to look at the new arrival and stare as he glanced around the room before shouting into a pink… Was that a compact mirror? Takahashi frowned. Yes. He was shouting that someone named Koenma was not around at a small defenceless mirror. With an angry growl the black haired boy shoved the mirror into the pocket of his pants and turned his attention to the group.

"Let me guess. You people are all looking for someone that was kidnapped by a holiday," the boy declared with a roll of his brown eyes.

"Nice to see you too, Yusuke," Trunks replied with a frown as the boy walked up to them. "Any reason why you are in America?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Boss went missing and now I have to find him." He sighed as if he would rather be fighting than playing detective. "Anyone see a toddler with brown hair and eyes or a teenager with a pacifier in his mouth?"

Takahashi shook her head and half thought about asking Yusuke about Akiko but if previous experience was correct he wouldn't know anything. However Goku frowned and glanced at Trunks.

"I think I saw him."

Yusuke's eyes widened and he started grinning. "Really? That's awesome! Where? Botan couldn't give me any directions except that his energy had been located here for a few seconds and in some alley but there wasn't anything in the alley."

"Something attacked Trunks and me in an alley with a scythe. It kept popping out of a black hole or something and when we fired our chi at it for a second I saw a toddler tied up in the hole."

"Damn. If that guy is in a portal, odds are I won't find him even if I knew where to look." He growled before looking at Takahashi. "So who did you lose?"

For a second she stared at him before replying. "A little girl. Her name is Akiko."

Yusuke nodded. "Well we'd better get going then. Whatever attacked Trunks and…"

"Goku," Goku added.

"I'm Yusuke. –Goku will probably be back for at least one of them and I'm guessing he'll have my boss and your kid too."

Trunks frowned. "How can you be so sure? It could just be a coincidence."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah just like the past two times. It's totally a coincidence and not a sign that holidays are out to get us or anything."

Kaiba stepped forward so that he was now beside her as he glared at the teen. "So you think that just because all of us are involved that it's some holiday again even though there are none in the summer?"

Yusuke glared at Kaiba and took a threatening step forward. "You got a better solution, Mr. Pain in the Ass? Last Halloween, you, Keiko, and Trunks go missing. This Valentines Takahashi, Goten, and I go missing. Now my boss and Takahashi's kid is missing and something attacked Trunks and Goku. Seems like a holiday to me unless other people are getting attacked by a scythe that pops out of black holes."

Kaiba was silent and Takahashi saw that Trunks also seemed a bit undecided but without hesitating Goku walked over to Yusuke and nodded. "I'm with Yusuke. I may not know a lot about what you have gone through but it seems too much like a coincidence to be one. Besides, three fighters are better than just two."

Trunks sighed before nodding. "Alright fine but if my mom asks why I didn't get any work done today you get to explain Goku."

Yusuke's eyes widened as he looked at Trunks. "You run a company, have super powers, and you are scared of your mom?"

"You would be too if you knew her." Trunks then turned Takahashi. "You coming?"

For a second she stood torn. She needed to make sure that Akiko was okay and find her. But if she stayed her job would be terminated. However if she stayed then there was a good chance that when the boys found the little girl she would drive them all insane. Another important fact was that if she stayed she would get no work done and work herself into a panic attack.

She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she decided. When she turned to face Kaiba, he was glaring at her before she even said anything. "I need the day off, Mister Kaiba."

He didn't reply. Instead he turned and walked back to his office and disappeared inside. Takahashi let out a sigh knowing the consequences of her actions. She had worked a lot longer than she had thought she would but now she needed to find her Akiko.

The boys were watching with pitying looks as she walked up to them. Ignoring the looks she said, "We'd better get away from here if we want to set some form of a trap."

The others nodded and Yusuke wrapped an arm around her shoulder. In an older brother way he said, "Don't worry. He'll show up when we need him."

The words would have comforted her if she didn't know Kaiba so well but she had made her decision and she was going to stick with it.

***Welcome*to*2011***

**Y**ells and shouts were still coming from outside as the group readied to leave Kaiba Corps Head Quarters. The sounds echoed up to the top floor and reminded Goku of how many times he crashed through buildings and created similar reactions. Of course, when Goku destroyed a building it was by accident due to some powerful enemy kicking, punching, or using an energy blast to send him flying. However, this time the panic was caused by a sneak attack. If there was one thing Goku didn't like, it was sneak attacks. He preferred his enemies to meet him face to face and fight where no one else could be hurt. However, being as experienced as he was, he knew things did not always work out the way he wanted. The fact that the enemy had hostages now made things even worse. Thankfully he had a feeling he could count on Yusuke for back up and while Takahashi couldn't fight she seemed intelligent but right now she was shaken. Of course, he was too when his brother had stolen Gohan when the boy was only four years old and Akiko was only a few months old.

He watched as she grabbed her car keys and purse from her desk before turning to the men. "Alright so where are we going? Whatever took Akiko must be close by and waiting."

"Japan," Trunks said.

Takahashi and Yusuke's eyes widened. "Why Japan?"

Trunks smiled. "The thing that is after us will probably expect us to walk out the front door and attack us then when we can't defend without harming innocent people but if we get back to Japan the thing will lose time trying to track us and we can lay a trap."

Yusuke frowned. "Great, but how are we supposed to get there? Botan probably won't be in a helping mood after I hung up on her."

Goku grinned as he steps forward. "I can use Instant Transmission to transport us there."

"Sure. Whatever that means," Yusuke muttered before turning to Takahashi. It amused Goku to see the younger boy act like a big brother towards the woman. "You probably should stay here. Whatever this guy wants, he doesn't seem have any problems with killing innocent bystanders and from the little Botan told me, this guy seems way worse than Eros."

Takahashi shook her head. "I'm going. Akiko is too fussy to be left alone with people she doesn't know. She'll drive you all insane before you can even beat the bad guy." She paused to snap her purse shut before walking towards the elevator. "We should at least go down to the lobby to make it look like we're leaving through the front door."

Goku nodded and noticed Trunks looking back at the door Kaiba disappeared through. Sensing the younger man had a plan, he suggested, "We should go down in groups of two so that if we get attacked we have room to move."

Yusuke nodded. "Takahashi and I'll go first."

The two saiyans nodded and watched the two disappear behind the elevator doors before Goku spoke again. "Trunks, I don't know much about that guy but I doubt anything you say or do will change his mind. He's as bad as Vegeta when he makes up his mind."

Trunks nodded. "If I don't try, I have a feeling Naomi won't have a job to come back to."

Goku frowned. "I'm not so sure about that. I mean I know that he's mad but I doubt he's that mad."

"You haven't worked with him. We can go once I talk to him."

Goku nodded and noticed Trunks had something clutched in his hand as he entered the office where Kaiba remained. Although Goku wouldn't normally listen through doors he was curious to see how Trunks would try to convince Kaiba to come and help. Unfortunately, the door was too thick to let any noises through and within seconds, Trunks returned looking like he had just been told he had just been kicked out of school for being too smart. Knowing Trunks and Trunks' father as he did, Goku wisely kept quiet and followed him to the elevator. The trip down was quiet and Yusuke and Takahashi were waiting for them in the lobby. The woman quickly led them to a quiet hallway where they could disappear without causing a scene. Goku quickly instructed everyone to hold onto him and within seconds they disappeared from Kaiba Corps' American headquarters and reappeared in a park.

When they reappeared Yusuke quickly let go of Goku's shoulder and took a few steps back. "I didn't think anything was worse than portal hoping but that comes pretty close," the teen muttered.

Trunks smiled at him. "You get used to it and it makes for a great escape."

Takahashi nodded as she also let go of Goku's shoulder. "I can see why. Although I hope you can get me back home just as quickly. So what's the plan?"

Goku frowned and looked to Trunks for guidance. "We'll use Goku as bait."

Goku's eyes widened. "What? Me?"

Trunks nodded. "The thing obviously wanted you so if we just wait around sooner or later the thing will come back for you and when it does, you and I can distract it while Yusuke and Takahashi go through the portal and find Akiko and Koenma."

Yusuke groaned. "Damn. Looks like I won't get do to anything fun."

Goku grinned and patted the boy on the back. "Cheer up. I'm sure that there will be monsters or something protecting your boss and Akiko."

Yusuke shrugged as he stretched. "Yeah but they probably won't be as strong. Oh well. I guess nothing will be as strong as Yomi anyways. Probably a good thing since it means I won't be joining the afterlife again."

Goku nodded. "As long as it isn't as strong as Cell things will be over in no time. Man that was a fun battle." He paused to laugh as he remembered how he had died at the end of that battle. "Of course I died so it's probably a good thing."

Yusuke smirked. "So you got your butt kicked by a green bug thing that some pro-wrestler beat? That's lamer than Kuwabara nearly getting his butt kicked by a little kid."

Goku laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I guess that **is** what everyone heard. But you said die again. How did you die?"

Yusuke's face changed and looked like he had just swallowed something sour. After a moment he muttered, "I got hit by car."

Goku could tell the boy expected him to laugh but he didn't. Instead he frowned and sat down on a bench. "Chichi forced me to drive one of those once. It didn't turn out too well."

Yusuke was quiet, allowing Goku to look around the park. Off to his left, Trunks and Takahashi were talking. So far there were no signs of danger and he didn't sense anything. However…

Goku's stomach growled and Yusuke's eyes widened. "Please tell me that was your stomach."

Goku laughed. "Sorry. I haven't eaten in a little while."

Trunks paused in his talk with Takahashi to look over. "You just put twelve hotdog vendors out of business minutes ago."

Goku laughed again as Yusuke's eyes widened further. "Wow. And I thought my mom's car got bad mileage."

"What about your mom's car?"

Everyone turned to look at the young woman who had walked up to the group. Goku frowned when he noticed his new friend's face drain of all colour and listened with interest as Yusuke said, "Hi Keiko. What are you doing here?"

The girl, Keiko, frowned as she shifted the groceries in her arms. "Shopping since you left me hanging again. I'm surprised you're back so soon. You're usually gone for a week when you go on a mission."

Yusuke groaned as he waved his arms. "Give me a break, Keiko. If Kuwabara was the one who kept disappearing, you wouldn't complain."

"I'm not dating Kuwabara. I'm dating you so are you going to tell me what is going on?"

Goku could tell that Yusuke didn't want to tell Keiko so he was going to explain when his stomach growled. The feuding couple looked away from each other and finally noticed that they had an audience. Goku laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that. All this waiting is making me hungry."

He expected Keiko to turn back to Yusuke and demand an explanation like Chi Chi or Bulma would have but the girl instead reached into her bag and pulled out an apple. With a shout of thanks Goku quickly started to devour the apple. He was so wrapped up in his short bliss that he missed Trunks introducing him to the girl who he apparently already knew. When he finished the apple Takahashi was already explaining why they were in Japan and what had occurred. Keiko looked from Takahashi's worried face, to Trunks' determined frown, to his own carefree smile, to Yusuke's pale frown.

"So Koenma is missing and the thing that took him also took Akiko and attacked Goku and Trunks?" she asked.

They nodded.

Goku watched as Keiko's eyes took on a determined fire. "Then I'm staying. If Takahashi isn't around to calm down Akiko, I might be able to."

Trunks and Yusuke instantly started to argue with her while Takahashi was silent. Personally Goku would have preferred if Keiko and Takahashi both stayed back away from the danger but he knew that Akiko would want her babysitter. That meant Takahashi had to stay but Keiko didn't really have a reason to do so other than to maybe stop Takahashi from doing something silly. However, he knew from experience that when a woman got the idea to do something stuck in her mind, she wouldn't give up. So while Trunks and Yusuke argued with Keiko he kept quiet and a look out for trouble.

Finally Yusuke shouted, "Keiko, just go home. We have no idea what this guy is capable of!"

The girl stood her ground (as Goku knew she would) and said, "If Takahashi can stay so can I." As if to prove her point, she went and sat down beside Goku on the bench. Defeated Trunks and Yusuke fell silent as Takahashi and Keiko started to talk. Time passed and half a dozen apples later, Goku felt the chi that signalled trouble. A second later he felt himself start to shrink and he realized that they had not just underestimated their opponent. They had **greatly** underestimated him.

***Welcome*to*2011***

The last time Keiko was involved in one of Yusuke's cases she was nearly killed by an insect-controlled mob but that didn't make her even hesitate to offer to help 'protect' Goku. However, she didn't expect the man to suddenly shrink. Even if she had seen that coming she couldn't have predicted that she and Takahashi would be kidnapped along with the man.

Just minutes after she had joined the mission to save Koenma and Akiko she had given Goku a thirteenth apple due to the man's insistent stomach growling. He had been happily eating it while she talked to Takahashi. The older woman looked like she was barely avoiding a mental breakdown. While Trunks and Yusuke talked about their opponent Keiko got Takahashi to open up. Slowly she learned that not only was her little girl missing but also Takahashi was reasonably sure she wasn't going to have a job when she returned to America. From the little Keiko remembered of Kaiba when they had worked together, she was inclined to agree although she tried her best to say the opposite. She was just getting Takahashi to explain why losing the job at Kaiba Corps meant so much when she noticed a glow behind her. She and Takahashi turned to look at Goku who was the cause of the glow. The man and his clothes seemed to be shrinking until the man looked only five.

Goku paused mid bite to hold his hands in front of him. He waved them a bit before he groaned. "Chi chi isn't going to be happy about this," he muttered. "She was just getting over the last time I shrank."

Trunks and Yusuke glanced over from their chat only for Trunks' jaw to drop and Yusuke to frown.

"Not again," Trunks muttered before Yusuke looked at him and pointed back at Goku. "Why does he look like he needs the training wheels back on his bike?"

Trunks started to answer when his eyes narrowed. Goku leaned into a defence position in front of her and Takahashi while Yusuke suddenly starting glancing around the area. "Botan wasn't kidding when she said even I could sense him," Keiko heard him mutter.

Instinctively, Keiko and Takahashi moved closer together behind Goku and waited. If there were any signs of trouble, the boys would spot it long before she would. However, seconds passed and nothing happened. Keiko's muscles started to loosen as she glanced around. Takahashi had mentioned that the being attacked from black portals but Keiko didn't see anything like that anywhere. Takahashi's gasp caused Keiko look towards her. The woman's eyes were wide as she looked down towards her feet. Following her gaze, Keiko felt like her stomach had dropped from fifteen stories. Under Takahashi, Goku, and her feet was a black hole. At Keiko's gasp, Yusuke and Trunks looked over and Goku looked down. Linking arms with the girls, Goku tried to jump away from the black hole but slim pale arms reached up and grabbed his feet. She wasn't sure what Goku was doing but a wind rushed around them as Goku strained to escape.

Trunks and Goku lunged towards them but a scythe forced them to keep their distance. Soon the three were up to their waists in the dark hole. A minute later only their heads were visible. Within seconds, Keiko couldn't see Yusuke, Trunks, or the street anymore. Around them was only darkness but Keiko could still see Takahashi and Goku without a problem. The arms around Goku's feet had vanished and an invisible wind whipped through their hair as they fell through the nothingness. The wind started to fade as Goku somehow managed to slow their fall. Eventually their feet came to rest on what could only be described as the floor although there was no real way to tell if the floor existed because it looked the same as the rest of the darkness. Keiko avoided moving for fear of falling off the floor she couldn't see. Slowly she came to realize that there were small lights like far away stars in the darkness and near invisible clocks. Even underneath her feet the little lights glowed and the clocks ticked as if she was standing on a piece of glass.

Goku was the first to overcome the shock as he asked, "Where are we?"

Takahashi shrugged as she glanced around before her shocked expression turned to one of anger. "I think he can tell us."

Keiko and Goku looked in the same direction and slowly her eyes spotted an old man sitting in a rocking chair. He worn a long and tattered navy blue cloak and had a white beard the length of an office desk. In his arms he held a small baby girl and beside his chair sat a toddler with a blue binky who was thrashing around.

Avoiding looking down, Takahashi walked over to the man. For a moment, Keiko was reminded of Shizuru whenever Kuwabara did something wrong. However the old man didn't cower in fear like Kuwabara often did when Takahashi started to shout.

"Where are we and why did you take Akiko?"

The old man rose from his rocking chair and walked towards Takahashi. Calmly, he placed the sleeping girl in her arms with a small apology. Caught off guard, Takahashi became quiet so Keiko spoke.

"Excuse me, but where are we?"

The old man had sad eyes she noticed. "I am Father Time and you are in my realm," he replied. "And I'm afraid to say that I am unable to show you around as I must leave right now but please make yourselves comfortable." The old man started to fade from view but not before Goku said:

"We'd probably be more comfortable at home."

Slowly the old man shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot send you home yet."

Keiko frowned. "Then how long will we be here?"

"Forever," the old man replied before he faded from view leaving them alone to try to escape and while the old man hadn't said that it was impossible to escape, Keiko had a bad feeling that it would prove to be impossible for them to escape without help.

***Welcome*to*2011***

**N**ever had Trunks ran into a man who was equally if not more pig headed than his father. Thinking that Kaiba would like an update, Trunks had called to inform him that Keiko, Goku, and Naomi had been kidnapped but Kaiba's reply was to ask what reason he had for caring before hanging up. For the life of him, Trunks still couldn't understand how Kaiba could act the way he was. If his secretary had been kidnapped he'd still go try to help save her, and Trunks didn't even know the woman's name!

To his right, Yusuke was talking to his assistant named Botan who Trunks had yet to meet face to face. While Trunks had called to inform Kaiba of the latest problems, Yusuke had called into Botan to see if she could tell them anything more about the person they were fighting. Thankfully, Yusuke seemed to be having an easier than Trunks had if the slight frown on Yusuke's face was anything to go by.

"And you are sure you know how to get to where everyone is?" Yusuke asked as Trunks hanged up on his call.

A bubbly voice floated out from the mirror. "Spirit World may suck at predicting things but we know our portals."

Yusuke's frown grew a little. "That's what you guys said about Sensui and looked what happened there."

The voice had lost a little of its bubbleness as the mirror replied. "Well this isn't a portal to Demon World so it is easier to track. Now I have to go, all this paperwork is piling up. I'll open a portal to the place in a field. You'll know it when you see it so just remember before you go through, send in a spirit blast first."

"Why? … Botan? Damn." The younger man cursed and then snapped the mirror shut. He glanced at Trunks who waited for an explanation. "She hung up on me."

Trunks nodded as he moved the car into the left turning lane. "But at least we know where to go."

Yusuke nodded and the rest of the ride was quiet until the two came to a stop in the middle of a grassy field. Yusuke jumped a little when Trunks turned the car into a capsule but within seconds the two had located the swirling green energy that was the location of the portal. As they walked towards it, Yusuke glanced over at Trunks.

"So are you going to try to call What's-His-Face and tell him where the portal is?"

Trunks sighed. "If I thought it would do any good, I would, but it's a lost cause. When that guy makes up his mind, it stays that way."

Yusuke crossed his arms as he looked towards the sky. "I'm not so sure about that. He sorta reminds me of a friend of mine."

Trunks frowned as he avoided stepping on a toad. "And would your friend come and help when he decided not to?"

"Yeah, of course…" Yusuke voice trailed off as he frowned in thought. "Of course that one time he was really just putting on an act… but he didn't realize it… I think."

Trunks shook his head. "For the sake of our friends we might as well assume that Kaiba isn't coming."

Yusuke nodded and they continued walking. They were almost at the portal when a black one appeared beside it. An old man in a black robe stepped out and watched the two men as they slipped into defensive positions.

"I take you are the person who took our friends?" Trunks asked as he waited for the old man to make his move.

The old man slowly nodded his head as if it was too heavy on his shoulders. "My name is Father Time and yes, I'm afraid I had no other options. You see, if I didn't act terrible things would happen."

Out of the corner of his eye, Trunks saw Yusuke clench his fists. "Oh yeah? What sort of terrible things?"

"If you take the New Year babies back, the world will end."

Trunks frowned. "I thought that was just an article in the newspaper to get people to read it."

Father Time shook his head. "The New Year babies are what allow time to move forward but now time must stand still or all will be destroyed."

"Stand still? Wouldn't that cause the world to be destroyed as well?"

Father Time shook his head again as a scythe appeared in his hands. "I'm sorry but you must be stopped. The New Babies and their caretakers cannot return."

Trunks saw Yusuke's stance slacken as the young man muttered, "Caretakers?"

Trunks frowned as he watched the old man. "He must mean Keiko and Takahashi."

"If he did, then he is really asking for it."

Surprised by the sudden anger in Yusuke's tone, Trunks risked a glance at the man. He was just fortunate enough to see Yusuke's afterimage as the teen charged at Father Time. His eyes found Yusuke again just as the boy was inches from introducing his fist to the Father Time's face. However, something was wrong.

Milli-seconds from impact, Yusuke's fist, which had almost been a blur to Trunks' eyes was suddenly in perfect focus as it flew through the air. Meanwhile Father Time's hand had suddenly moved upwards and was pointing directly at Yusuke. Yusuke's fist continued through the air at the new speed and shot over Father Time's shoulder as he ducked. Yusuke's face slowly changed from anger to surprise as he sailed past the enemy. Too slowly to be natural, Trunks thought as he glanced at the old man once again.

While Trunks considered what had just happened, Yusuke suddenly started moving at a faster speed as he lost his balance and crashed into the grass behind their opponent. The boy quickly stood up and muttered something Trunks only half heard before he charged into another attack. Once again, Yusuke seemed to slow as he neared Father Time. His punch was easily avoided but instead of falling again, Yusuke froze with his fist millimetres from Father Time's face.

With one hand still pointed at the boy in front of him, Father Time reached into his black rode and pulled out a metal scythe. Instantly, Trunks summoned his power and changed his hair from its lavender colour to a golden yellow as he lunged into a tackle. Flying more than fast enough to create a sonic boom, Trunks felt himself slow as if he was travelling against an insanely strong headwind. When he reached Yusuke, he felt as though he was only moving at three metres per second, if that. He crashed into the boy's frozen body as Father Time was raising his weapon. In the few seconds it took the old man to swing his scythe, Trunks had already pushed himself and Yusuke out of range. He nearly pushed them to the other end of the city though because when they were five feet away from the old man, Trunks had felt himself moving faster and had to quickly return to his normal form to avoid blasting himself and Yusuke into the next city.

The two came to a stop just a few miles away from where the portal and Father Time were. Their feet had barely touched the ground for a second before Yusuke turned and readied to jump into another attack. Only Trunks' hand on his shoulder stopped him and Trunks was thankful for his unconventional heritage, as he doubted he would be able to hold the boy back otherwise.

"We need to think of a plan or else all we're going to accomplish is getting our butts kicked," Trunks said as he kept an eye out for the opening of another black portal.

Yusuke nodded. "Well trying to out race him didn't work. It's almost like he could see the future or something."

Trunks felt his eyes widen as a thought hit him. "He said his name was Father Time and according to some myths he **can** see the future, and the past, and the present."

"Did the myths mention how to beat him?"

Trunks shook his head as he looked around again. "But if he can see the future the best way to counter that would by not making a plan so that he can't read it."

Yusuke's face suddenly changed from an annoyed scowl to a happy grin as he punched the palm of his other hand. "Good thing that's my speciality and just so that I don't accidently hit you, you fight like Goten right? Like you can fly and such."

For a second, Trunks was very confused as he tried to remember if Goten had ever mentioned getting a new sparring partner. Then he recalled that Yusuke and Goten had battled Eros when they had been kidnapped. Recalling this, Trunks replied, "Yeah, flying and energy blasts are about the only abnormal thing I can do." _Besides going Super_, he thought to himself.

Yusuke nodded as his happy grin faded to a determined frown. Trunks watched as the boy narrowed his eyes as he turned to look back the way, they had come. Trunks also turned and leaned into a crouch as he readied to blast into the air once more in a surprise attack. However, just as he was about to blast into the sky, he felt as though chains had wrapped around his muscles, restricting any and all movement. Beside him, Yusuke had also frozen and before them, from a black portal came Father Time with his hand outstretched. His eyes appeared almost sad, Trunks thought as the old man walked towards them with the scythe swinging through the air.

"Now, I will end this," Father Time said as he stopped before the two males.

Trunks wanted to struggle, to summon his energy, to do something to at least say he had tried to avoid his death but he couldn't even feel his energy. It was as if his body was a block of unmoving ice and only his brain was able to move and understand things at normal speed. In vain, he tried to summon the energy he couldn't feel and to move the muscles that wouldn't move. The scythe slowly rising over the old man's head. It appeared that he was going to finish them both with one swing. Behind him was a plane and Trunks briefly thought of the plane he had missed that morning. Once, before he was born, the actions of another version of himself had greatly changed the course of time. Maybe if he had gotten on the plane, this could have been avoided. The weapon was over Father Time's head. Though he was ashamed to admit it, Trunks wanted to close his eyes in those last few seconds, if just to avoid the visual memory of his pitiful death. The scythe started to descend. Trunks tried once again to move. Nothing. He was done and unable to do anything but watch.

Behind Father Time came the sound similar to a bullet being shot out of a cannon. It was followed by the sound of an explosion as the ground behind Father Time suddenly erupted into flying dirt and flames. Father Time stumbled under the shockwave that followed the explosion and Trunks' muscles jumped into motion as he pulled Yusuke and himself out of the blast zone.

It looked like the cavalry had arrived.

***Welcome*to*2011***

**E**ven though Yusuke rarely ever got to say "I told you so", he had said it enough to know shouting it in the middle of a battle was a very stupid thing to do. However, as he dodged a scythe aimed for his throat, he made a mental note to rub it in later if— when he and his two allies beat Father Time.

When the plane first shown up, he and Trunks were about to join the Afterlife. Thankfully they had been saved. Since then, the three had been trying to catch the old man off guard long enough to land a critical blow. Trunks had come close once or twice when his hair had suddenly changed colour and his speed quadruple. However, every time they got close, the old man would turn and they would slow down. Then one of the other two would have to rush in and distract Father Time long enough to stop the frozen person from being beheaded. Except for the plane, which seemed to play by different rules. Whenever Father Time pointed at it, the plane seemed to move as if in fast motion. It was a miracle it hadn't crashed already.

For a fifteen time, Yusuke felt himself slow as the old man pointed at him with a bony hand. Behind the man, the plane which had been flying in fast motion suddenly returned to normal speed. As the plane started to go into a barrel roll, Yusuke decided that the pilot had obviously lost control of the jet. That or else he was trying a very odd distraction technique. Of course the black smoke pouring out from the twin engines on the wings supported the former theory. As Yusuke was watching and straining against the force that held him, the plane righted itself and turned so that it was aimed at the back of the old man.

In front of the teen, Father Time raised his scythe once more and walked towards Yusuke with the intent to murder clearly written all over his face. Behind Father Time, Trunks in all his glowing glory flashed into view with the intent to kick Father Time's head off written all over his face, although the surprise at being slowed down was appearing as well. As if he had eyes on the back of his head, Father Time simply ducked and when his kick hit only air, Trunks flew forward and crashed into Yusuke. Only the plane flying low saved them from being badly cut by the scythe. Unfortunately, oil was now pouring from the jet's wing.

Pushing Trunks off of him, Yusuke quickly leaped into another attack knowing he was going to get frozen again. However, the more chances he could give the plane and Trunks, the more likely that sooner or later they would get lucky. Once again time slowed and once again was Yusuke on Death Row. The jet to the left of Yusuke, made a sharp turn as it faced Father Time once more. Two of the last few missiles exploded from its place under the plane's wing with a loud bang that caused the plane to start to wobble in the air. Once again, it seemed Father Time had eyes on the back of his head as he turned around and pointed directly at the missiles. Instantly, Yusuke felt his muscles jerk him forward as it was released from the force. Meanwhile the missiles had come to a standstill a few metres from Father Time.

Once again able to move, Yusuke lunged forward and finally landed a punch on Father Time. It landed solidly on the old man's jaw as he started to turn back to Yusuke. The force caused him to fall forward over his own feet and roll away in the grass of the field. For a few seconds, Yusuke felt very proud of himself until he realized the missiles was moving at full speed once again and he was standing in the line of fire.

Unable to dodge due to the fact that the missiles would hit the ground and make an earthquake and start funny questions, Yusuke quickly tried to think of a good plan as the missiles flew closer. After all, a little messed up dirt could be explained but a crater couldn't be so easily. Digging his feet into the ground, he readied his shotgun. Clutching his right wrist with his left hand, he poured his energy into his right fist. The missiles were just feet away from his as his fist started to glow. The shockwave from the exploding missiles would hit him before he would be able to defend but he felt slightly confident that a demon could survive the human weapons.

Sensing his energy clash against its resistances, Yusuke released it only to feel like he had fallen into a vat of molasses. Slowly, his arm moved forward and he watched as the light slowly creeped out from his fist. Meanwhile the missiles continued on their deadly path at their normal speed. Knowing it was useless, Yusuke halted his energy flow and began to slowly move his arms into a protective "x" shape in front of his face. The missiles were 2 feet away from Yusuke. Yusuke's left hand released his right wrist. One foot. His arms were moving up to his chest. Ten inches. He wasn't going to make it. Out of the corner of his eye, Yusuke saw the floundering plane straighten slightly once more as it made a sharp turn. Just as the missiles were seconds from making the score Death 3 Yusuke 0, Trunks appeared from behind the plane. In the same second, white balls of light shot out from a machine that popped out on top of the wings of the plane. The balls of light quickly flew into the air and crashed into the missiles. The missiles then exploded in a ball of fire. Yusuke felt the spell on him vanish as he went flying through the air due to the shockwave of the explosion. He could feel the heat of it against his skin before it was replaced by the painfully feeling of friction burn as he crashed into the ground and added a new trench to the collection.

Shaking off the pain, Yusuke quickly stood and removed himself from the ten foot trench he had just created. Except for the dirt that now covered him head to toe and his now missing shirt, he was virtually unharmed. The same could not be said for the plane. Trunks was able to stop it from spinning out of control by grabbing on and guiding it but the shockwave had still tripled the amount of smoke pouring out of various holes in the hull. Even from ten feet away, Yusuke could hear the warning sirens coming from the plane as it raced towards Father Time. The smoke was now coming from the cockpit as well and as it flew it started to slow down the same way Yusuke had. Moving slowly, Father Time jumped onto the nose of the plane and started to walk towards the cockpit. His scythe swinging with his ever movement like some American Grim Reaper.

Pointing his own finger at the plane and Father Time, Yusuke readied his own special technique. He didn't have a clue what Trunks' plans were but he wasn't going to stand by and let Father Time kill anyone. In the seconds it took his finger to glow, the old man had reached the cockpit. At the same time, the cockpit opened and smacked Father Time smartly in the mouth. While the old man was clutching his jaw, the pilot of the plane wrapped some wires around the old man's foot. At least that was what Yusuke thought was happening. Seconds later, a figure disappeared over the side of the plane and Yusuke was sure he spotted a flash of yellow close to where the figure had jumped. Trusting Trunks to look after the pilot, Yusuke readied his Spirit Gun. When his finger was glowing a bright blue, Yusuke quickly fired on the jet.

Unable to slow the giant blast and unable to move from the jet, Father Time was done for. Yusuke was sure of that fact. The blast hit the jet and ripped into the gas tank causing the jet to explode into a fire ball that quickly joined the burnt grass on the ground. Drunk on the feeling of victory, Yusuke turned as a now lavender-haired Trunks landed on the ground with the pilot. Recognizing the blue eyes under the pilot helmet, Yusuke smirked and said to Trunks, "I told you so."

Trunks also appeared to be sharing in the good feeling because he smiled and laughed. "Mission Accomplished just as planned," he added as the pilot removed the helmet to reveal the face of Seto Kaiba. From the scowl on his face, it was clear Kaiba did not share in the good vibes that were flowing from the other males.

"Were you trying to kill me with that last attack?" he asked Yusuke.

Yusuke shook his head, too happy to care. "Nope. If we wanted you dead, the plan would have failed." In fact he was still happy as they reached the portal and crossed through. They had just beaten the bad guy and they were on their way to rescuing their friends. What could go wrong?

***Welcome*to*2011***

**W**hen he had recovered from the after effects of the portal travel, Kaiba stood and took in the scenery. The sun was shining down as it did the many times it had when he had been transported to Egypt. However, the land he found himself on now did not share the golden brown sand of the Two Lands. The sand here was a dusty brown with small spots of vegetation. Furthermore, instead of crude building made of mud or towering palaces of stone, the males seemed to find themselves on the edge of a town in the American west. Wooden buildings lined the one street town and at the far end was a barn where two men were talking as they rubbed their horses with hay. Behind the street were scattered homes where voices could be heard along with the occasional whiny of a horse or bark of a dog.

It appeared to be a peaceful town at the moment although Kaiba had a feeling things were going to change and quickly. Turning to his allies, he found that Yusuke and Trunks were also looking around.

"So the old man lives in the Old West?" Yusuke asked as they watched a cat slip by them.

Unsure, Kaiba remained silent while Trunks glanced around the area again. "I don't think so," Trunks finally said. "I can't sense his energy anywhere and somehow I doubt Father Time would just let us walk around his home without facing us the second we got here."

"So what are we supposed to do?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the question. "You call your assistant and we find our way out of here. Something must have been wrong with your portal."

Yusuke scowled at him causing Kaiba a bit of amusement before his eyes suddenly widened. "Damn! I forgot to fire a spirit blast in first. The battle must have messed with the portal."

"Congratulations."

To his left, Kaiba heard Trunks groan. _Good_, Kaiba thought._ That's what happens when you try to drag me into something that has no bearing on me._

Although Kaiba was being extremely childish, he felt justified by the fact that as two super beings, Yusuke and Trunks should have been capable of beating Father Time without his help. While he did help them beat Father Time with the plane, sooner or later they would have beaten him even if he wasn't there. Realistically, he had no reason for being there. Trunks and Yusuke could save the others on their own. They could save Yusuke's boss, Trunks' friend, and both their girls all without his help. They had powers. He didn't. They had a person to save. He was forced into saving his secretary who already had someone who cared about her and who already going to rescue her. Trunks shared similar abilities when it came to technology and use of strategy. If anything, he was now just extra weight and if he were able to, he would just leave, wait, and find out the next morning that Trunks and Yusuke had won. As he knew they would. Life would return to normal and he would have to hire someone new because Takahashi would want to leave to be closer to her sweetheart. The thought made it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand so Kaiba removed himself from his thoughts.

Yusuke was now speaking into his pink mirror and Trunks was continuing to search for danger. After a minute, Yusuke turned back to the group looking as if he had just bit into a lemon.

"Botan says she has no clue where we are and it'll take a while to find us and make a portal."

Trunks frowned as he looked away from their surroundings. "How long?" he asked.

"Anywhere from twelve hours to a week."

Despite himself Kaiba found himself gasping. "A week?"

Yusuke nodded. "And that's if she can reassign one of the ogres from paper work duty."

Trunks now also looked like he had just tasted something horrible. "And what are the chances of that?

"Slim to none."

Kaiba rolled his eyes as he watched a wagon pulled by a large black horse roll past them and into the town. "Brilliant," he muttered. As if he didn't have enough to worry about. When he got back the newspapers would be having a hay day about his disappearance and then they would find out about Akiko. He'd be amazed if his or Takahashi's reputations ever recovered.

To his left, Trunks had started to move towards the town. "Then we'd better get used to being here," he said as he walked around a pile of horse dung.

Kaiba frowned as Yusuke started to follow without a second thought. He, however, wanted to stop and think. If there was anything he recalled clearly from the American western movies Mokuba liked to watch, it was that people who stood out got shot. Glancing at his companions and then himself, Kaiba honestly could not think of any way they could blend in dressed as they were. Yusuke could blend since his jeans were so ragged from the battle and he had lost his shirt somewhere. Trunks, however, was doomed to stand out regardless of his clothing as no one would believe that his purple hair was natural. Sparing a second for himself, Kaiba honestly realized that he probably stood out worst of all due to his white trench coat and black clothing underneath. Nevertheless, he followed the other two into the town.

They had just reached the street when the sounds of gunshots echoed through the day followed by shouts. From a window in one of the buildings came a body since the soul had already departed from it. Another man rushed through the door of the building and also became a body as he hit the street and remained lying face down in the dust. Two more men, both around thirty, exited through the door with smoking guns in their hands. They were unshaven, bloodshot eyed men with an ugly glint in their eyes as they scanned the street. No doubt looking for their next target. Their eyes fell on the males and Kaiba paused to remind himself of the gun in the shoulder holster.

The one on the left seemed to be the leader. He was the largest and meanest looking out of the two. He was about as tall as Kaiba but thick with muscle and his face was square under the wide hat. On his belt was not only another gun but two knives as well. As he stared at them, Trunks muttered, "I think we are on the wrong side of the tracks."

Taking his cigar from his mouth, the large man laughed in a way that was not funny at all. "Well now. It looks like we've found a couple of Easterners. I'm Jim and this my brother Will. Are ya lost?"

All too well aware of the danger in front of them even though his two allies had super powers, Kaiba said, "We are just looking for a general store." These men were drunk and could start shooting at any second. The bullets wouldn't be stopped by the buildings if they dodged so no matter what someone would get hurt.

"Lucky f'r you we have two. Just over in that direction." He pointed towards the barn where two buildings were facing each other over the street. Both with signs that read 'General Store'.

Kaiba nodded and started to lead the way towards the stores. It was as the males were crossing the street, that the other man spoke. With his dusty hat leaned forward to cover his eyes and dark clothing, Kaiba hadn't fully noticed him until the man said, "Got something on your arm, partner." The next second he felt something tug the belt that was wrapped on his left arm. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the gun pointed at him. Yusuke and Trunks halted and Yusuke step forward with his fists held ready.

"What was that for?" he demanded to know.

The man who had fired, Will, merely smirked under his hat. "Just checking to be sure you are game. We don't want no sissies here."

"We aren't the ones shooting unarmed people in the back."

Jim frowned and took a step forward. "You calling my brother a coward?"

"I sure as hell—" Yusuke's sentence thankfully came to a halt as Trunks covered his mouth and started to drag him down the street behind Kaiba. When they were in the safety of the general store, Yusuke was once more free to speak his mind. Of course the first thing he did was demand an explanation from a Trunks. While the two children fought, Kaiba turned to the man behind the counter.

"Do you sell clothes?"

The man nodded. "Might not fit so well for the shorter fellow but I have some." As he turned his back to go through a few trunks of items the man added, "Those were the Lousi Brothers you ran into. Grade A poison they are. That was their second and third kill since they came here three months ago. Looks like they have their eyes out to make it three more."

Trunks and Yusuke had joined Kaiba at the counter as the man returned with a few shirts, pants, hats, and holsters. "Unfortunately, this is all I have at the moment," the man said as the males started to look through the clothing. He was silent for a moment before he said, "Did you fellows lose a bet or something?"

"Costume party," replied Trunks.

The man nodded and as Kaiba looked over his choices a thought suddenly occurred to him. "We don't have money on us right now," he said as he doubted 2011 bills could be used whenever they were.

However the man only smiled and explained that someone had already arranged to pay. Not one to pass up an advantage, Kaiba picked out a simple white shirt with pants, a double holster, and a black hat. Then he asked for a deck of playing cards. He could see the confusion on not only the store keeper's face but Trunks and Yusuke's also when he placed them in one of the holsters. Leaving the other two to make their selection, Kaiba went and got changed. When he came out his 2011 gun was in his right holster and his cards in the left one. Trunks had foregone the holster but grabbed a brown hat, pants, and a brown shirt. Yusuke meanwhile was wearing a baggy, blue stripped shirt and a pair of pants with no hat or holster. They thanked the man and stepped outside to see that the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon.

Once again, Kaiba followed the other two men as they walked towards the barn where a lantern created a small well lit area. As they stopped in front and to the side of the barn, Kaiba asked, "Now what?"

Trunks shrugged. "I guess we should find a job since we don't know how long we'll be here."

"And what sort of job would you suggest? Any ranch would know right off the bat that we know nothing about cattle and I doubt the banks will hire us."

"There's the bar."

Kaiba shook his head. "If I wanted to get shot at and risk my life daily, I would go hold up a stage."

"Bars aren't really like that."

Yusuke, who had been playing with the dirt, looked up and said, "Did they have coins in the Old West?"

Glancing over, Kaiba saw that Yusuke held a small coin, about the size of a nickel in his hand but in the dull light it was difficult to see what colour it was.

"Apparently," he replied.

Grinning like a madman, Yusuke turned to walk towards a building labelled 'Saloon' and said, "Might as well make this baby count."

Kaiba shook his head. "We need jobs not to get drunk."

Yusuke paused in the middle of the road, causing Kaiba to wonder if a horse was going to run him over. "Didn't you watch any western movies? The best place to get information is a bar and you can't go into a bar without buying a drink."

Trunks smiled as he started to follow. "He does have a point."

Scowling, Kaiba still followed them, expecting the worst and finding the opposite. Yes, dancing girls were flipping their skirts on a stage but for the moment, everyone was sober. A few men were even playing poker and only one or two men looked up as they entered. The rest too busy talking. Everything was calm and suggested a light-hearted mood. However, Kaiba kept a careful hand by his hip where the holster with his cards lay.

A group of men were sitting at a table, who had glanced at the males as they had entered, returned to their conversation.

"Killed a cashier and a woman as they were leaving. Both unarmed and him knowing it. Shoot! That ain't noway to beheave now it is?" one man said.

"Times are changing," another agreed.

Yusuke appeared to sense no danger as he boldly walked up to the bar and ordered. The coin was enough for three drinks so the three of them sat at the bar and held a mug of beer. Yusuke downed his with get gusto before quickly realizing he didn't like it and placing it back on the bar, far away from him. Trunks faired a little better and drank slowly. Kaiba merely studied his, wondering how old it was and if it was even drinkable. While they were drinking a little old man walked to the bar and sat down.

"A beer, Pete," he said.

Pete, the bartender, glared at the man and said, "You ain't getting any beers until I see the colour of your money."

The old man protested and started to make a scene but he halted in mid-sentence, staring in wonder at the glass of beer that appeared in front of him. Kaiba watched as the man turned to him and thanked him past the point of being uncomfortable before gratefully draining the glass. After he had finished the glass, the old man said, "So were you thrown on the train or did you leave the East willingly?"

"What?" Kaiba replied.

The old man shrugged. "Nothing. Just wondering what your story is seeing as you don't size up as westerners and most Easterners don't come 'ere often 'less they are looking for work or were placed on a train by someone."

Trunks leaned on the bar. So that he could hear better, Kaiba thought as the poker players started laughing. "We're just waiting for a partner to meet us."

"Guessing you must be in need of money then since you ain't buying glass after glass of Pete's famous homebrew."

More like infamous, Kaiba thought as he glanced at the barely touched mug Trunks had and the glass that Yusuke had pushed to the far end of the bar.

"A good place to look would be the Flint Sisters Ranch," the old man continued. "Them and their little brother run a place just over by Hangman's Mesa. Been needing a few more hands since theirs are away on a cattle drive with half the herd."

With a quick thanks for the information, the three disappeared onto the street. It wasn't until they reached the alley by the general store that Yusuke asked, "What's a mesa?"

Both Trunks and Kaiba froze and glanced at each other. Apparently, Trunks didn't have a clue and the most Kaiba knew was that it was some form of desert landscape.

"Think he'll be able to give us better directions?" Trunks asked.

Kaiba shook his head. "After we left a few other men treated him."

Yusuke rolled his eyes and threw them up in the air. "Well that's just great. None of us know what or where Hangman's Mesa is."

"Why would you want to go there?"

The males turned to see that a young woman had stepped down from a cart pulled by a black horse. Though she was wearing a cotton dress covered in dust, there was no mistaking her face.

"Keiko?" Yusuke gasped.

The girl's blue eyes widened. "No. My name is Kayla, Kayla Flint. I live at Flint Ranch which is why I want to know what you want with Hangman's Mesa. If Jim hired you then you can—"

Trunks waved his arms and started to quickly explain that they were just looking for work. Meanwhile, Realizing that Yusuke was still staring at Kayla, Kaiba stepped on his foot with his black boots seeing as the general store didn't have any shoes that fit him or the other males. Once the pain wore off, Yusuke glared at Kaiba.

"What was that for?" he hissed.

"Would you hire someone who couldn't stop staring at you?"

"Is that a trick question?"

Rolling his eyes in disgust, Kaiba tuned to look at the area between the general store and the building beside it. He froze. Carefully he moved his hand closer to his card holster and waited.

From the shadows, Jim Lousi appeared with his guns holstered. "Better ride boys. I'm giving you one warning and one warning only. The Flint sisters are mine and my brother, Will's turf."

Kaiba heard Kayla groan but didn't turn to see her expression as she replied, "Nancy and I turned down your offer. We don't need your kind of help."

"You will," Jim replied as he refocused his attention on the males. "I've given you a warning so ride."

Kaiba carefully moved his hand into the holster with the cards in it. To Jim, hopefully it would like as though he was only placing his hand in an empty holster. "We'll let the Flint Sisters decide if we ride or not."

Jim glared at him. "They won't be needing your help so you better leave now or you'll be leaving on the next stage in caskets."

To Kaiba's left, he heard Trunks mutter to Kayla to go onto the general store. Kaiba could only assume she had listened as his attention was distracted by Yusuke saying, "I'll take care of this. He won't be much of a warm up but better than nothing," as he cracked his knuckles.

"Sorry but I only fight guns so unless you are carrying iron, I'll be fighting your friend… unless you leave now."

Kaiba shook his head. "If we could leave, we would but not because of you."

"Sounds like your chicken to me," Jim leered.

To his left, Trunks whispered, "We can't afford any trouble."

To his right, Yusuke replied, "He'll be the one in trouble if he doesn't stop talking."

To himself, Kaiba thought he had reached his limit with Jim Lousi. With long practiced aim and speed, he drew a card from his holster and threw it. Jim let out a cry of pain as the paper cut into his knuckles and lodged there. The man's gun lay on the ground forgotten before Kaiba placed his foot on it to prevent the man from retrieving it.

"What the hell?" Jim screamed as he clutched his wounded hand.

"You weren't worth the bullet," Kaiba replied before a splitting pain in his head caused the world to spin. As the pain receded to a sharp ache, he realized that a liquid that reeked of alcohol was dripping from his hair into his eyes and down his neck. But that was the least of his problems.

Yusuke was kind enough to jump Jim after the man ripped the playing card from his hand and then attempted to kill Kaiba with a knife he had hidden. Trunks meanwhile attacked the man who had snuck up and attacked with a glass bottle. Glancing at the man, Kaiba realized that it wasn't Jim brother's Will. The man was probably hired for the night so that left the brother. The problem was that Kaiba didn't see him anywhere.

Eyes narrowed against the pain, Kaiba scanned the area for the final Lousi brother. He found him just as the man was about to empty his gun into Yusuke's back. Knowing that his cards couldn't stop lead, Kaiba drew his gun and fired. The final brother jerked as the bullets hit him on the holster that still held a gun. The force turned the man and the shock stopped him from pulling the trigger. Not giving him a second chance, Kaiba rushed forward and landed a solid punch on the man's jaw. The man he recognized as Will took the blow and knocked Kaiba back with a kick.

His head was still pounding from the bottle and now his ribs were burning. The cowboy's spurs had cut in when the man kicked. Thinking caused more pain but he blocked it out as Will rushed in for a follow-up punch. Kaiba didn't let him get that far. As the cowhand threw his fist, Kaiba grabbed it, turned, and threw the man over his shoulder. Will let out a gasp and a groan before laying still. Thinking that the fight was over, Kaiba turned to see how Yusuke and Trunks were faring. Instead he came face to face with the business end of a sawed off shotgun and a rifle. Both were held by boys about six years old.

"Back off, Lousi brothers and Bert. This shotgun is loaded and I don't care who I hit," one of the boys shouted.

A groan caused Kaiba to glance over to where Yusuke was and see that the boy was laying on the ground. A second before he had been holding up Jim with one hand and readying to punch with the other. Now he was clutching his stomach and cursing as Jim ran. The man's brother and Bert quickly followed and disappeared.

Safe for the moment, the males turned to face the reason for their safety. The boys lowered the weapon as they walked closer.

"That's for the help, kids," Yusuke replied as he dusted dirt off his clothing.

The children nodded as they stepped into the light that came from the windows of the general store. Once again, Kaiba found himself being the only one not to react when the revealed one boy with black hair that stuck out at odd angles and black eyes. The second had brown hair, blue eyes, and appeared not to be able to let go of his soother.

"No problem," the black haired boy said. "The Lousi brothers are just a bunch of bullies. Bert probably was just paid for the night so he'll leave you alone now."

The brown haired boy nodded. "Might as well chase them out before they think of a way to distract us so they can talk to Kayla or Nancy. I'm Kelvin and this is my brother George."

George waved. "Hi."

Now it was Kaiba's turn to speak as Trunks and Yusuke were frozen. "Are you related to Kayla Flint?"

The boys nodded. "You looking for work?" Kelvin asked.

Kaiba nodded.

George frowned as he placed his arms behind his head. "Nancy does the hiring but she's back on the ranch. She says that we'd hire the first person who gives us candy."

Kelvin nodded. "It's not a far ride if you want to just get on your horses and follow us."

"We don't have horses. Just came from the East," Kaiba added when George's eyes widened.

George nodded. "You can ride in the cart then. Just don't mess with Kayla. She had a heck of a punch," he said with a laugh.

With a nod, the males followed the two boys to the general store where Kayla and the cart was waiting.

***Welcome*to*2011***

Eventually the group reached the Flint Ranch which was located behind the Hangman's Mesa. It turned out a mesa was a big rock formation found in the desert. When they reached the ranch, Yusuke was the first one out of the cart. While Trunks and Kaiba cautiously moved out from behind and between bags and boxes of supplies, Yusuke stretched and took in the sights. The ranch looked very bit old western movie. If he didn't deal with odd things like this so often, he wouldn't believe his eyes. He was in a golden age of North America's past. Although…

Yusuke glanced out of the corner of his eye as Kayla hopped down from the driver's seat. Although that didn't explain how or why there were people who looked just like Koenma, Goku, and Keiko. He couldn't speak for the first two but he was pretty sure that Keiko didn't have any relatives in the States. Past or present. Then there was that other problem. Glancing down at his hands, Yusuke tried to summon his spirit energy. He waited for his hands to glow blue, start to tingle, or become warm. Regular flesh-coloured hands with slightly bloody knuckles were the result. The last time he had gotten bloody knuckles was back in junior high before he became a spirit detective.

Something was obviously wrong. If they were really transported to the past, he should still be able to use his spirit energy, right? In fact, Yusuke was almost sure that a girl who looked just like Takahashi would appear. Then something horrible would happen to the Flint Sisters so that they would be distracted and possibly forget all about Father Time and their kidnapped friends. And if that failed they would have an accident and forget their memories. The Flint Sisters would care for them and in return they would remain on the ranch.

Yusuke nodded. It all made perfect sense. Now all he had to do would be warn the other men so that Father Time's plan would fail. Provided he didn't get distracted first.

George and Kelvin had started to unload the cart with the help of Trunks and Kaiba as Kayla retreated to the house. Probably to tell the second Flint Sister that they had returned. Yusuke helped unload supplies as well until the cart was empty. At that point everyone entered the house. Following George and Kelvin, the group found themselves in a warm kitchen where Kayla was speaking with a familiar looking girl, who was stirring soup in a pot. When she turned to face George, who was demanding to know when dinner would be ready, Yusuke saw Kaiba stiffen.

_Black hair, green eyes, name starting with an "N"? Called it,_ Yusuke thought.

The woman didn't seem to be aware that she had cemented Yusuke's theory into fact as she said, "You might as well sit down. Dinner will be ready in a few seconds." She waited until they sat down before turning to Kayla and speaking as they stood over the stove. Kelvin and George joined the men at the table and started to fire off questions – more George than Kelvin— about the East. By the time dinner was ready, Yusuke felt that while they did a good job covering their tracks, the boys would find themselves in trouble. Thankfully, the questions allowed the men to come up with a decent cover story in which a friend was beaten and dropped on a train heading West.

"When we found out, we jumped on the nearest train to try to find him. Unfortunately, we got robbed on the way," Trunks finished as Nancy placed a loaf of bread on the table.

Conversation died for a few seconds as everyone started eating. It rekindled again when Nancy asked if they wanted to work on the ranch.

"We probably won't be here long," Kaiba replied. "Maybe a week or two at the most. A friend we contacted should be meeting us soon with money and equipment."

Nancy nodded. "The stage comes in tomorrow at noon so you might be leaving then. Not enough time to train you how to handle horses or cattle." She paused. "How good are you with your hands?"

"Depends on what you want done," Yusuke replied as he swallowed a bite of bread.

"Just some repairs around the barn and house. The wood is rotting in some places and needs replacing. In exchange we'll let you stay in the bunkhouse and throw in meals."

"Sounds simple enough," Kaiba replied.

Nancy smiled. "Consider yourself hired then."

Kayla, who had been eating quietly beside Yusuke, turned to him and asked, "So what are your names?"

All three males froze. Yusuke quickly debated telling them his real name but it sounded so foreign that it could cause problems. Come to think of it, didn't the Japanese attack America in a war? Which war was that? Had it happened already?

"Eric," Kaiba said. "He's Vale, and that is—"

"Messi the Kidd," Yusuke supplied causing Kaiba to groan and Trunks to stare.

The Flints didn't seem to mind as George said, "Nancy calls me that sometimes when I mess with her cook books."

"Darn straight," Kelvin replied. "And then she makes me help you put them back in order."

"It's not my fault you read better than me."

Kayla shook her head in amusement as she started to pick up the dishes. Yusuke rose to help her and placed a few dishes in the wash tub. He then followed Kelvin as he showed them the bunkhouse. It wasn't until they were alone that the mask came off.

"Messy the Kid?" Kaiba asked with a raised eyebrow as he kicked off his black boots.

Yusuke glared at him as he untied his shoes. "Shut up. Like you had a better name."

"Justin **is** a better name."

Yusuke rolled his eyes as he sat down on his bunk. "Okay, so I panicked. Not everyone has a name that can easily be converted into American."

Trunks nodded as he lit a lamp with a match. "Speaking of which, why did you pick Eric instead of Seth?"

Kaiba glared at him. "Father Time travelled to our time looking for us and he heard us address each other by name. Why make it easier for him to find us?"

Something didn't seem quite right with that answer, Yusuke thought but he let it go. "Couldn't he just look into our past and see what fake names we used and look for us that way?"

"To do that he would have to know where to look and if he knew where to look he could find out without asking anyone."

"Which he might be able to do," Trunks added. "We don't know how his powers work or even what they are."

Yusuke nodded in agreement before looking down at his hands. He was a fully capable street fighter in the Old West but against Father Time he would be a joke. If he wanted to win and live, he needed his powers back… Although Kaiba seemed to get by just fine with his toys.

"Hey Trunks, can you still use your energy?"

Trunks face became serious and grim as he turned to Yusuke. "No. Even the strength caused by my saiyan blood is gone."

Kaiba's eyes widened as he stared at the other two from his bunk. "You're telling me none of your fancy powers are working?"

Trunks nodded. "I'm completely human it seems. If Father Time attacks now a few martial art moves are all I have."

"But if we were really in the Old West, our powers should still work right?" Yusuke asked.

"Probably. This means that we've crossed through into another dimension instead of a time."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Then we should be safe for a little while. Father Time controls time not dimensions."

Yusuke and Trunks nodded in agreement before Yusuke turned back to Trunks. "So are you like Superman?"

"Pardon?" Trunks asked, causing his grim exterior to slip back to his more upbeat mood.

"Superman loses his powers when he comes in contact with Red Sun Radiation. Are saiyans like that?"

"I think you mean Kryptonite," Kaiba said as he laid down on his bunk.

"No. I mean Red Sun. Have you even read the comics?"

Kaiba was silent as Trunks replied, "No. This is the first time this had ever happened." Trunks glanced at his hands. "And I'm not enjoying it."

Yusuke nodded. "I guess it must be weird to lose something you've had your entire life."

Trunks nodded before he kicked off his boots and laid down. "We should get some sleep. Farmers and ranchers get up at the crack of dawn."

Before Yusuke could reply, Trunks had turned over on his side. As Yusuke followed his lead, Kaiba blew out the lantern. As the bunkhouse went dark, Yusuke realized he had unintentional hit a nerve of the purple-haired man.

The next morning came too early for Yusuke when he awoke to find George poking him. However, the boy was too cheery for Yusuke to shout at him without feeling guilty. They had a quick breakfast with the girls before their tasks were assigned. Some hay needed to be moved to a higher loft in the barn because it was a fire hazard. The roof of the barn needed some repairs. And the walls of the bunkhouse and main house needed some repairs as well. Trunks had wanted to fix the roof but Kaiba forced him out of it because:

"You'll forget you can't fly and take some stupid risk, fall, and then you'll be useless or dead."

Thus Trunks was left to play with the hay. This left Yusuke with fixing the walls while Kaiba worked on the roof. It was fairly easy work for Yusuke although it was made more difficult by the pair of watching eyes and endless questions that came from the boy named George.

"Why is Vale's hair purple?"

"Does Eric ever smile?"

"How did you get the name Messy the Kid?"

"Are you related to Vale and Eric?"

"Do you have a family?"

"Does Vale have a family?"

"Does Eric have a family?"

"How did you meet them?"

"What's your friend like?"

"How did you meet him?"

"How come you don't wear a gun?"

"What sort of boots are those?"

"How old are you?"

"Are you really looking for your friend?"

"Are you on the dodge?"

"Why is the sky blue?"

Okay to be fair the last question wasn't asked but it would have been! What Yusuke wouldn't have given for a mute button. As he was replying to the real last question (Are you on the dodge?) he hit his finger with the hammer he was using to remove some of the rotting wood. He cursed out of habit, realizing too late he had said his worse curse and that it was Japanese. He glanced at George to see his reaction. The boy only stared and said, "What does that mean?"

Yusuke forced a grin on his face. "Something your sisters never want you to know about so you should never ask them or repeat what I just said."

George's eyes widened and he clapped his hand over his mouth as if the temptation to repeat the forbidden word was too strong. Trying very hard not to laugh, Yusuke returned to his work. It was hard to believe that George was the copy of Goku. From what he saw Goku didn't really act remotely close to George's personality. Of course, Goku was a grown man and George was only six so he might have grown out of it. Refocusing on his work, Yusuke was readying to hammer another nail.

"George Flint!"

Whamp. Yusuke held his hand and tried not to curse again as a tall man approached on horseback. George turned and grinned as he waved. "Deputy Monc!"

The man halted his horse and stepped down. Yusuke glanced at the man from under his hat that Trunks had forced him to wear to avoid heatstroke. The deputy was tall with black hair and purple eyes. On his coat hung a small metal star.

"Who's your hired help?" the deputy asked.

"He's Messy the Kid," George replied.

The deputy's eyes narrowed. "That so? I never heard of you, Kid. Got another name?"

"Justin," Yusuke replied.

"Justin," Deputy Monc replied. "I'm afraid I have to place you under arrest."

"What?" Yusuke braced his feet on the ground, readying for a fight. "What for?"

"For the holdup of the Domino Bank and murder of Kenny Wayne and Mrs. Stuart." Deputy Monc motioned to his horse. "If you come willingly, I won't have to shoot you."

Yusuke grit his teeth as he tried to figure out how he came to be accused. "I didn't kill anyone," he said.

The deputy shook his head. "Can anyone confirm that?"

"We can."

Never had Yusuke been so happy to see Trunks and Kaiba… except for that time when Kaiba showed up to blast Father Time with that jet. Riding on horses borrowed from the ranch, Kaiba and Trunks rode up with Kaiba's gun in hand and pointing at the deputy.

Deputy Monc swallowed and glanced back and forth between Kaiba's gun and Yusuke. "If you kill me, you'll join him."

"Who says I'll kill you?" Kaiba asked.

It was at that moment that Nancy and Kayla arrived at the scene with Kelvin and his shotgun. Before they could even ask what was going on the deputy shouted, "This man is accused of armed robbery and murder of an unarmed man and woman."

"Under what evidence?" Trunks asked.

"The spending of a coin known to be stolen at the local bar."

Kaiba glared at the man. "He found that coin on the ground."

"If that's true, then he'll be found innocent in court."

"If you can keep him alive that long. I've heard of your western towns and their reputations for hanging people before they even get to trial."

"Are you suggesting that the sheriff office doesn't know how to protect its charges?"

"Yes. I am."

"Well holding that gun allows you to speak your mind without fear."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and the deputy swallowed again. Yusuke recognized the look on his face. It was the look Trunks wore when he realized Elder Toguro could read minds when it fought him on Valentines. It was the look Kaiba wore when Takahashi was making her decision to stay at Kaiba Corps or not. It was the look Yusuke wore when Keiko was angry at him. The deputy was scared to death.

Then Kaiba did something that floored all of them. He stepped down from his horse. Took a few steps away from everyone. And holstered his gun.

"Your justice system is a joke," Kaiba said.

"That's enough!" Nancy shouted as she stepped between Kaiba and Deputy Monc. "Don't you even think about drawing your gun, Mike, and you!" She turned to Kaiba. "A real man should be able to handle his own problems without your help!"

Yusuke frowned. He wasn't completely sure if he or Kaiba had been insulted by Nancy. Probably both.

"And women should stay in the kitchen. Or are you just ahead of your time?"

Oh. So not the right thing to say. Yusuke winced as he watched Nancy work herself up to an explosion. He really hoped that Takahashi wasn't watching them right now or else Kaiba would be lucky to speak to her ever again without being called sexist. Recalling how Yusuke, Goten, and Takahashi were able to watch the progress during the previous holiday horror, Yusuke felt that it would be a good idea to break up the fight before Takahashi got any more wrong ideas.

"I'll just go to town with the sheriff," he said in a shout loud enough to get everyone's attention.

That floored everyone as much as Kaiba holstering his gun.

"What?" Trunks and Kaiba shouted.

Yusuke waved them off. "Don't worry. Nancy probably won't want Kai—Eric around the ranch so he can come and keep an eye on me and stop me from being killed."

"Idiots can only be protected from so much," Kaiba replied.

"Well then third time's the charm," Yusuke replied as he walked over to the deputy. "But I don't think we'll have to worry as long as Kaiba and you do your job."

The deputy looked ready to faint as Yusuke stood before him. He was very pale and slightly green as he tied Yusuke's hand with some rope and helped him onto the horse. With one last smile, Yusuke was headed for town.

***Welcome*to*2011***

"**Y**usuke can't be serious, can he?" Trunks asked as they watched the dust settle. "He'll be killed."

"Unless we find the real thief or break him out of jail," Kaiba replied in a hoarse whisper. Then he turned to Nancy and Kayla. "Vale will be staying here if you still want him. I'm borrowing your horse."

He expected Nancy to shout or disagree but she didn't. She just nodded and asked Trunks if all the work had been completed. Leaving them to it, Kaiba got back on the black stallion he had been on and made a beeline for town. When he arrived he found that Yusuke was not quite as compliant t as they had thought.

"Get back here!" the deputy shouted as he tried to grab Yusuke who jumped to the side. Even with his hands tied, Yusuke was still able to move without a problem.

"Sorry, too slow," Yusuke replied as he grinned.

A group of people was forming around the two as the deputy tried in vain to catch the teen. The deputy was now slowly turning red.

"You said you'd come quietly!"

Yusuke shook his head as he kicked a stone at the deputy's face. "Nah. What I said was I'd go to town with you. I never agreed to the rest."

"But you're under arrest."

"Says you."

Despite his feelings that Yusuke was being an idiot for not taking the chance to escape, Kaiba found himself amused by the mockery of the justice system. Beside him, Kaiba heard people wondering aloud what such a 'likeable' lad had gone and who he was.

"I think that's Billy the Kid!" one western finally said.

"He's about the right age," another replied.

"And he's so charming," a woman added.

Kaiba had to place a hand over his mouth to muffle his snickers. Well if they thought Yusuke was charming and Billy the Kid, he would have to let them believe that. From the little he recalled from Mokuba's cowboy phase, Billy the Kid would never shot an unarmed person. Man or woman. So if the town believed Yusuke was Billy, they wouldn't believe that he had killed the cashier and wouldn't hang him.

The deputy was now a dark purple colour. "If the sheriff was there, you'd be in your cell!"

Yusuke laughed as he stuck out his tongue. "Too bad your sheriff ain't here then." He grinned as he stretched a little. "Look. How about this. You let me go, and you can stop embarrassing yourself. You don't have to put up with me in a cell and the taxpayers don't have to pay for my trial. Sound good?"

The town was silent as the deputy thought it over. However, out of the corner of his eye Kaiba saw movement behind Yusuke. Curious, Kaiba started to move closer when he felt something poke him in the back between his shoulder blades.

"Move and you're vulture food," the voice whispered.

"Too chicken to face me with an even break?" Kaiba asked, more than loud enough to shift the attention of the crowd.

As people looked over, those without guns quickly retreated far back. Those with guns drew them and pointed them at the man behind Kaiba.

"Drop the gun, Will Lousi," one of the men said.

Kaiba felt the gun move back away from his shoulder blades but the presence was still there. "If you shoot me, you'll also hit him."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he glanced around. Although these people constantly lived with guns, they had no idea just how far a bullet could truly travel. Unfortunately, they were still standing too close for Kaiba to successfully dodge without the bullet hitting anyone else. He started to try to think of a plan when the sound of metal hitting bone distracted him.

Everyone in the crowd switched focus again to see that Yusuke was out cold on the ground with Jim standing over him with his gun drawn.

"Reckon you've got your prisoner, deputy," Jim said with a laugh.

Not hearing any movement behind him, Kaiba turned and saw that Will had disappeared. The men with guns put them away and everyone watched as the unconscious Yusuke was dragged to the jail. The deputy then explained the charges and Kaiba could see the shift from supporters to angry mob. It looked like they had forgotten about their assumption that Yusuke was Billy the Kid. Not trusting the deputy to be any form of protection, Kaiba hung around the jail with an eye out for trouble.

Eventually, Yusuke awoke and started demanding his lawyer and other basic rights. The deputy ignored him and quickly moved his chair to outside the jail to get away from the noise. Hoping that the deputy wouldn't see him, Kaiba ducked around the back of the jail to where the hole in the hall that acted as a window was. He tapped on the bars to get the teen's attention and after announcing the boy was going to take a nap, Yusuke met him at the window.

"Thanks for the backup," Yusuke said with a put out frown.

"You're welcome. Is there any way to get out?"

Yusuke shook his head. "If there was would I still be in here? This place is annoyingly well hit. You'd have to have superpowers to get out."

"Then we need a plan." Scanning the area, Kaiba hoped to find something to somehow free Yusuke. Instead he found a purple haired man running towards them.

"Did you find Yusuke?" Trunks asked.

Kaiba pointed towards the jail as Yusuke stuck a hand out and waved.

"You've got to be kidding me. You actually went into the cell?"

Yusuke pulled his arm back into the jail as he replied, "Not intentionally. Kaiba distracted me."

Kaiba shrugged. "Will snuck up on me and distracted Yusuke and the crowd. Jim then knocked the idiot out."

Trunks shook his head. "This is bad. As I was riding into town I saw the Lousi brothers speaking with a group of people. And they were stretching a rope."

Kaiba could see a bit of a Yusuke's face through the window and knew he was confused. Before the boy could asked, Kaiba said, "They stretch a rope before a hanging so that the rope doesn't break or give too much when the body drops."

The boy became slightly pale. "So now what?"

Kaiba and Trunks glanced at each other. "They probably won't try anything until after dark," Trunks offered.

"Great so I have to sit and wait for them?"

Trunks eyes widened. "That's not a bad plan."

"I was kidding!"

Kaiba nodded as he considered the idea. "The mob would have to get you out of the jail to hang you. When they finally start to hang you, we could step in, get you out of trouble and—"

"It'll be dark so they won't be able to track us until morning," Trunks finished.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Yusuke demanded.

"Only if you can come up with a better plan," Kaiba rpelied.

The jail was silent for a second before Yusuke cursed. "Fine. But if I die, I'm coming after you."

Trunks nodded. "Nightfall is only an hour off so I'll go get some supplies and see if I can figure out where the hanging will happen."

Before Kaiba or Yusuke could say anything, Trunks was gone.

"So it's just you and me," Yusuke said.

"Just you," Kaiba replied as he started to walk away. "Don't die."

Kaiba didn't hear Yusuke's reply and he felt that was probably a good thing. The hour passed quickly and the sky became to darken before the men met Yusuke back at the jail.

"So how did it go?" Yusuke asked as he hung his arms from the window.

Trunks smiled. "I've got enough water and food to keep us if we get lost and I got directions to the nearest town. My capsule car should be able to make the trip no problem."

Kaiba nodded in acknowledgement as he looked around. "The group should be here soon so be ready."

Yusuke nodded as he disappeared outside the view of the window. Kaiba and Trunks then kept a watch on the alleys on either side of the jail. They needed to know where the mob was taking Yusuke for the plan to work.

Time passed and Kaiba could hear Yusuke start to get fidgety. The moon rose over the town. Doors started to close and be locked. The saloon remained open and music drifted from it. Still the mob did not appear. Despite the rest he had gained yesterday, Kaiba felt himself start to drift off. The week of virtually all-nighters was starting to get to him. Twice he caught himself nodding off before something jolted him into alertness. He stiffened and waved to Trunks who crawled over. They watched as a band of five plus their leader, Jim Lousi, approached the jail.

When the mod was at the front door, Kaiba and Trunks crept around the building to watch as one of the men knocked on the door. Deputy Monc opened it and was quickly dispacted. Jim took the keys from the man and three large men followed him into the jail while the other two guarded the door. Kaiba and Trunks heard Yusuke demand an explanation as the door to his cell opened. They heard a small scuffle as Jim and the other men attempted to overpower the teen. The noises ceased and the two guards also entered the jail. It was then that Jim said the four simple word that flew everything into chaos.

"Let's hang 'em here."

Kaiba glanced at Trunks. This was not what they had expected. However, Trunks nodded and picked up the crowbar he somehow found.

Silently, they crept in. The hanging party had their backs to them as Jim placed the noose around the gagged and tied Yusuke's throat.

"Let's see how well you dance," Jim said as he motioned for two of the party to start pulling on the rope that had been thrown over the rafters.

"Let's not," said Trunks as he knocked out one of the party with the crowbar.

Before the rest of the mob could react, Kaiba had grabbed the shotgun that the man had been holding. He pointed it at the party.

"Let him down and untie him," Trunks continued as he picked up the revolver the man had also had.

A second passed before one of the men moved to obey. When Yusuke was free, he ran over to the two men.

"Cutting it sorta close," he said.

Ignoring the teen, Kaiba considered the situation. The moment they turned their backs, they were dead. Unless he could make a bluff and convince the non-Lousi brothers members of the party that Yusuke was innocent. Hoping for the best, Kaiba said, "If you are really looking for justice and not just murder, you could ask the Lousi brothers to empty their pockets and check what sort of coins they have."

Jim glared at him. "We all know your friend is the one who's guilty. Besides, I don't turn out my pockets for anyone."

Yusuke growled as he stepped out from beside Trunks. "That's it! Killing people randomly and bugging the Flint Sisters is bad enough but I'm not going to get hanged for something I didn't do!"

Before anyone could stop him, Yusuke walked up to Jim and stripped him of his guns. Those he tossed to another man in the mob before he grabbed him by his collar. "Now you are going to empty your pockets or we'll have a knife-edge death match."

The westerns stared at Yusuke.

"A what?" Jim asked.

"You heard me. A knife-edge death match. You western types seem to like your knives as much as you like guns so this should be right up your alley. We'll your knives, stab into the ground and have a match. We'll each place a foot against the edge of the knife and have a fight. If you move your foot from the knife, you die."

Jim smiled. "Alright. I'll take you up on your offer."

Yusuke released him and smiled thinly as the man walked towards the door. Kaiba and Trunks moved to let him through and watched Yusuke for his next move. As the man was just about to step outside Yusuke said, "There's something I forgot to mention. No boots."

Jim's face paled and he swallowed as he turned back to face Yusuke.

"Scared Lousi?" Yusuke asked. "You can still empty your pockets."

"He'll kill me!" Jim replied.

Kaiba realized with a start that the big man actually seemed genuinely scared and that his bluff had some truth. "Who will?" he asked.

"My—" Jim fell silent as his eyes rolled up into his head. He hit the ground face down, revealing the arrow that was sticking out of his back. Without checking, Kaiba knew he was dead.

As one person, all the people in the jail rushed outside to spot the killer. They found him in the middle of the road with a cigar in his mouth.

"Darn it," said Will. "I was aiming for the short kid."

"You just shot your partner! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Trunks shouted.

"Not really," Will replied as he laid the bow and quiver of arrows down. "Things happen here in the West. You move on and find new partners."

Yusuke growled. "People like you make me sick."

Will shrugged as he dropped his cigar and stamped it out. "Sorry to hear that. At least you won't be seeing me much longer."

Kaiba saw Will going for his gun as the man finished his sentence. Shifting his weight, Kaiba shoved Yusuke out of the way as the gun came level. Yusuke, not expecting the shove, stumbled and fell. Kaiba, who had been expecting this, also fell. The sudden movement stirred up dust and hid them from site for a few seconds. When the dust settled, Kaiba had his gun pointed right at Will's heart.

"Yusuke had more important things to do, so I'll be fighting you."

Will nodded. "You're gun savvy. Well this will be interesting. I've heard back East you have something called a Gentleman's Duel. Basic idea is you stand back to back and take ten paces before you turn and shoot."

"I've heard of it."

Will holstered his gun. "Then let's get started."

Kaiba nodded as he too holstered his gun and joined Will on the street.

"Scared?" Will asked.

"You should be," Kaiba replied before looking over at the group that had been about to hang Yusuke. He pointed to one of them at random. "You count the paces."

The man looked like Kaiba had just told him to jump off a cliff and fly. However, he started counting.

1…2… Even if he didn't make it, Yusuke and Trunks would be able to stay in the town until the portal was ready. 3…4… Will seemed to have good aim but always shot from ambushes so if Kaiba died, he was taking Will with him. 5…6… Only four more paces. Four more until the end. 7…8… He hoped the others could take Father Time and live. 9… He should have been fairer to Takahashi. 10.

The guns shots echoed in everyone's ears as one noise. Kaiba remained standing with his gun pointed at Will as he waited for the other man's next move. He wouldn't fire again unless he had to.

Will was on the ground holding his leg where Kaiba's bullet had entered and broken the bone. He was very pale.

"Heh," he said. "I guess I lose."

Kaiba waited another second before he started to lower his gun. Will wasn't going to be a problem anymore but Kaiba didn't holster his gun and walked sideways back to Yusuke and Trunks. He wasn't going to give Will any chances, he thought as he watched the man. Kaiba was almost at the jail when a man ran from it.

"The East boys were right! Jim had at least $2000 dollars on him."

Too late, Kaiba realized he had taken his eyes away from Will. When he glanced back he saw Will smirk. The man's gun moved from the ground beside the man to his hands. Almost in slow motion, Kaiba watched the gun move upwards to point at him. In the background he heard a sound like a cell phone ringing and Trunks and Yusuke shouting. He saw Will pull the trigger. Kaiba closed his eyes and waited.

Nothing. No pain. No freezing. No death? Slowly, Kaiba opened his eyes to see a glowing figure in front of him. As a sudden wind blew the figure's blonde hair, Kaiba let out a sigh of relief. It looked like Trunks' powers were back.

Looking over his shoulder, Trunks smiled. "You okay?"

Kaiba nodded. Glancing around he saw, Yusuke scaring the living daylights out of Will by making origami out of his gun. Will finally fainted from fright and Yusuke rejoined the group as Trunks transformed back to his purple haired self.

"Botan says the portal is ready."

Trunks sighed. "That's good. I think we wore our welcome out here."

Kaiba nodded. "So where is the portal?"

Yusuke snapped his fingers and a glowing circle of energy appeared inches away from them. "We can leave whenever we want," he said with a foolishly proud grin.

Kaiba nodded as he started to walk towards the portal. "Then we'd better get going."

Trunks frowned. "Shouldn't we say good bye to the Flints?"

Kaiba shook his head. "We don't belong here so it would be best to vanish. Besides," he added, "we have work to do."

Unable to argue, Yusuke and Trunks followed him through leaving many mentally scarred and confused westerns behind.

***Welcome*to*2011***

**E**very battle Trunks had fought had taught him something important. Don't waste time talking. Don't volunteer to be the decoy while Goten tries to find the Dragon Balls. Don't except people to fight fair. Do fight fair. Do try to make a plan. Don't wait for your enemy to show their secret move. Stuff like that. However, none of his battles had ever given him any tips for dealing with an enemy who could slow time around him just by pointing. Even the previous battles with Father Time hadn't given him any ideas how to beat him so to say Trunks was a little worried when they dropped into Father Time's realm was an understatement. He barely looked at the floating clocks but instead focused on the figures that appeared before them. It almost seemed like they had walked into a painting. Koenma was untied and seemed to be talking to Goku as the two sat on the floor. Keiko was holding Akiko as she sat down also. Takahashi was the only one standing and she seemed to be talking to Keiko as she was facing her.

The shock of seeing them like this caused Trunks to freeze for a second but he turned to watch as Yusuke walked towards Keiko. The teen started to reach out to touch her when to the groups left, Father Time stepped out of a black portal.

"They are not dead," he said as if he knew their thoughts. "I merely froze time around them."

Gritting his teeth as he readied for battle, Trunks asked, "Why?"

Behind him, Kaiba stepped forward and Trunks could feel the man's chi lashing the air with his anger as Father Time shook his head and said, "To protect this world. It may be filled with violence, hate, and panic, but there is such potential."

"And stealing people will protect it?" Kaiba asked as he stepped out to stand beside Trunks with a card in hand.

"Now in your world the fabric of time is wrapping itself into a knot. Previous years will return and follow each other in no formal order and the end will be prevented."

Trunks frowned as he tried to figure out what the old man was talking about. It was clear the others didn't know either and from his place beside Keiko, Yusuke was sending death glares at the old man. "Listen, you'd better start making sense before I have to force you to," he said.

It was then that Trunks realized what Father Time was talking about. "Wait, you mean 2012?"

Kaiba shook his head in digust. "That's just a myth."

Again Father Time shook his head. "It is truth if humanity does not change and soon."

"So basically you don't trust us to make good choices."

"I cannot risk such a choice. However if you are willing to leave or remain here peacefully—"

Not waiting for Father Time to finish his sentence, Trunks said, "Not a chance," and heard Kaiba and Yusuke join in.

Standing if the world was on his shoulders, Father Time stared at them with eyes narrowed with age and sadness. "So now I must make you disappear from time."

Stepping way from Keiko and the other frozen beings, Yusuke shouted "Bring it old man!" and before Trunks could even warn him or stop him, Yusuke charged as he had every other time they had fought Father Time. Trunks started to power up to join in but felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning he saw Kaiba.

"You and I both know that attacking him straight on isn't going to work," Kaiba said.

Trunks nodded. "But what else can we do? We have to at least try."

Kaiba shook his head. "We're in his realm. There has to be something here that gives him power. You probably heard more fairy tales than I did. Think, was there every a symbol of Father Time that always appeared?"

Pausing for a moment, Trunks thought. His mother hadn't really told him fairy tales. She mostly told him about her adventures with Goku or how she met his dad (not exactly the most child friendly story.) However, he did remember something. "A clock," he replied. "One of those old ones that you wind up with a key."

Kaiba glanced around the area. "So if we find the key, we can bring him now." Without waiting for Trunks to reply, Kaiba turned and started to run towards the vast void. "Keep him busy," he shouted over his shoulder.

With little choice, Trunks obeyed and rushed to prevent Yusuke from joining the dead. As in the many other battles the two quickly found themselves frozen off and on as they worked to distract and attack the old man. They had many close calls and Trunks couldn't help but wish that Kaiba would hurry up. Of course if Father Time had any brains at all the key would be protected and well and Kaiba was human. He was good with a gun and computer but he was only human. Anything they faced here would most likely be out of his league. As a scythe clipped Trunks' hair a little shorter, he felt a stab of guilt. Perhaps he should have not pressured Kaiba into the battle as much since it looked like they were all doomed now.

Suddenly they heard the sound of metal tapping wood. Father Time froze and turned to look behind him where a giant grandfather clock stood and standing in front of it was Kaiba and he was holding something. From the look on his face, he had found the key. Father Time, however, was a sickly gray colour. Fearing that Father Time would rush Kaiba, Trunks quickly jumped back so that he was beside Kaiba. After a second, Yusuke joined them.

"Let our friend go," Kaiba said slowly and clearly.

Father Time was now not only gray but his eyes showed rage. "You see," he said. "This is why I don't trust humanity to save themselves."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Humanity wouldn't have to act this way if people would just leave them alone."

Trunks nodded. "Besides you said that we had potential. If the years start looping, we'll never grow as a species!"

To his left and past Kaiba, Yusuke suddenly turned to look at the other two. "Wait does that mean we have to go through the sixties and seventies again?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes, never once taking them off Father Time. "Why do you care? You look like you came from the fifties."

"You want to fight me next without your little card trick?"

"I wouldn't waste my time."

Sensing that they were losing focus and that Father Time was still watching them, Trunks tried to save the situation. "Humanity really goes have potential," he said, "so don't judge humanity on us. We're freaks."

His ears started ringing when both Yusuke and Kaiba turned to face him and shouted, "Who are you calling a freak!"

For a moment, the old man looked between the three men and then over to where their friends were standing frozen. Trunks could feel sweat run down his face as they waited for his decision. If they hadn't managed to convince him they were doomed. All he had to do would freeze them, get his key, and then kill them. Then his problem would be solved. To his left, Kaiba appeared calm as if he dealt with this sort of thing often. Yusuke was twitchy though as they waited.

Finally the old man looked back at the three men, a faint smile peeking out from behind his long, white beard. "That is not my key is it?"

To Trunks' surprise and shock, Kaiba nodded. "I just needed to make you think they were." The man held out his hand and they saw only a simple set of car keys.

Father Time's smile grew. "You each help save the world once before, haven't you?"

Yusuke nodded, although he still seemed shocked by the key thing, Trunks thought. "Why else would we be here if we hadn't?"

"Because one of us was forced into it," Kaiba replied with a glare in Yusuke's direction.

Trunks watched and groaned as Yusuke turned his back on the old man to face the KC C.E.O. They had just won. Why did they want to risk Father Time changing his mind because of them fighting. However, nothing could stop Yusuke from shouting, "Hey Rich Boy! No one forced you to get into that jet or to go through those portals. You could have stayed in the Old West for all I care."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Yusuke and Trunks could only wish that they would behave. Yes, Yusuke was acting childish and taunting Kaiba but Kaiba didn't have to act in such a way that screamed:

"I'm the ruler of the universe so you will obey me whether you like it or not (regardless of the fact you could probably kill me with one finger) because I am rich and have a scary glare that makes Vikings think twice about attacking me. Fear Me!"

Giving up on the other two males, Trunks turned back to Father Time just to make sure that he hadn't changed his mind. Instead of asking though, Trunks found himself cut off by a piercing scream. Instantly he covered his ears and turned around looking for the source of the racket. It looked like Father Time had completely made up his mind.

***Welcome*to*2011***

"**A**nd even if he did care—" Takahashi felt the words die in her mouth as she suddenly found herself staring at the person who she was speaking about. At least she thought, she was looking at Kaiba. The hair and eyes matched but this man was wearing dusty and slightly bloody western clothing. However, as he glared at her, she knew it was him. Only one person had that glare.

The shock wore off and gave way to confusion as she tried to figure out what had just happened. She could have sworn seconds ago she had been speaking to Keiko about Kaiba's reaction to her leaving as the younger girl rocked Akiko. Keiko tried to suggest that he reacted as he did because he was possibly jealous of that she and Trunks were on first name basis.

"Eros did kidnap you to get some form of love for his collection," Keiko reminded her.

Takahashi had shook her head and started to reply when suddenly her boss (in western garb) was here and holding a whimpering Akiko, she slowly noticed. She started to ask what had happened when she found Akiko virtually dropped into her arms.

"Father Time kidnapped you to look after your kid so that time would start to repeat itself so that 2012 would never come. He froze you before we got here in an attempt to control us but thankfully for you, he has decided to never freeze time again," Kaiba said before he could ask. There was almost a feeling of "The End" when he had finished speaking and so she stared at him in complete confusion. Behind her she could hear Yusuke being chewed out by his boss and Trunks and Goku speaking to Father Time and although some greater being was telling her not to question his attitude, she couldn't help but ask, "Why are you so mad? No one forced you to come."

"I would beg to differ. Trunks called me with reports and left me with a jet even after I told him I didn't care."

Takahashi glared at him. "If you didn't give a damn, why did you bother?"

She could tell he felt trapped because he gave her a similar excuse to the one he used when he saved her from Eros. "I don't like hiring, especially when it could cause a scandal."

"Because you fired me over the fact I wanted to find Akiko?"

"Because of the fact that you have a small child with brown hair and blue eyes. One that was born while you were working for me."

Her eyes widened as the implications of what he was saying hit her. "But-But we aren't!" Words failed her as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that people could actually think that she and Kaiba… The effect on their individual reputations would be deadly but she reminded herself that his main concern was the effect on the stocks.

"Tell that to the press," Kaiba replied, breaking through her thoughts as he turned to watch the other groups.

Takahashi shook her head as she continued to struggle to wrap her mind around the idea. "But Akiko is my neighbour's daughter," she muttered.

Kaiba half turned to face her as he said, "What?"

"Akiko is my neighbour's daughter. She was arrested over the weekend and rather than leave Akiko to wait for her grandmother to fly down from Canada, I said I would watch over her." Too late she realized that she probably just told him what he needed to tell the press to fire her and avoid scandal. However, Kaiba didn't mention firing her. He just turned and watched as Yusuke and Keiko hugged, leaving her to wonder what he was thinking about.

***Welcome*to*2011***

**R**ather than get mad at Father Time for kidnapping him, Goku actually felt a fellow feeling for the man. He had only been doing what he felt was best for the universe and once Goku was back to hid normal size he thanked him and listened as Trunks and Father Time outlined what had taken place. When Trunks reached the part about having dinner in the Old West, Goku whined about missing a meal. When the story ended, Goku pouted and said, "I just had to miss all the fun."

Trunks laughed and soon Goku and Father Time joined in. However, when Kaiba's chi spiked they fell silent. Looking over, Goku noticed that Kaiba was facing Takahashi and they seemed to be shouting at each other. Frowning, he said, "I don't see why he's so mad. Naomi's okay and she was happy to see him when I first looked."

Father Time smiled sadly. "I believe that he has some misconceptions."

"About what?" Trunks asked.

"The father and mother of Akiko for starters."

Goku continued to frown as he watched the two verbally spar. He wondered if they even realized how close they were to each other. They were almost nose to nose until Kaiba turned away. "Well she'll tell him that it's her neighbour's kid soon."

Trunks nodded. "Speaking of doing things soon, we were supposed to be home a while ago." The man turned to Father Time and asked, "I don't suppose there is any way you could let us back into our time a few minutes before we left, is there?"

Father Time smiled. "Perhaps," he replied.

***Welcome*to*2011***

"What took you so long?**!**" Koenma shouted as Yusuke wandered over wearing some dusty western style clothing. The teen rolled his eyes at Koenma's question causing Keiko to smile just to let him know she was okay, especially now that Kaiba had Akiko.

For reasons beyond her, Father Time had unfrozen her and Akiko first. Predictably, when Akiko saw Takahashi frozen she started to scream. Keiko's rocking didn't work but when Kaiba took her, the child was silent in seconds. Eventually everyone else was unfrozen by thankfully Koenma had waited until Takahashi was moving to start shouting.

Yusuke merely rolled his eyes again as he listened to Koenma start to list off his to do list that he was now greatly behind in.

"You were frozen the whole time so how could you know how long it took to save you?" Yusuke asked when Koenma had finished his list.

Koenma rolled his eyes. "I have a watch," he replied before going to talk to Father Time leaving Yusuke and Keiko alone. He turned in her direction and smiled as he said, "Now next time when I tell you not to stay with me, will you listen?"

Keiko smiled. "Maybe," she replied.

**A/N: It only took two months to write but it's done now and this is probably my favourite out of the series so far with the Halloween one as a close second. I hope you enjoyed it to some degree even if it was only because of the boys dressed as cowboys. Haha. Thanks for reading! Also I apologize for Kaiba. I was watching Batman again and that probably appeared in many places. Like the card throwing although in my defense he did do that in the Japanese versions.**

**-D101**

**P.S About the woman in the kitchen comment. I'm a chick and I don't really believe that. It was just fun to write in so as I am a chick I am not being sexist and Kaiba was just trying to keep to the times. Be proud of him for doing his homework.**


End file.
